A remake of the popular 2001 Italian film L’ultimo bacio, The Last Kiss is yet another tale of generational angst. Written by Paul Haggis (Crash) and directed by Tony Goldwyn (A Walk on the Moon), A group of thirty-year-olds are forced to deal with the issues that arise around friendships, relationships and commitments. At the core of it, The Last Kiss is about a group of people finally facing the fact that their days of a carefree existence are in the rearview mirror.
Michael (Zach Braff), a Wisconsin architect, has a beautiful and loving fiancée, Jenna (Jacinda Barrett), who has just learned that she’s pregnant. This sudden news has totally freaked him out. Jenna’s parents are pressuring them to get married. However, Jenna claims that Michael’s work pressures and her own dissertation have rendered it an inopportune time for marriage. In reality, Michael is having a real emotional crisis; even though he considers Jenna perfect in every way, he’s having second thoughts about the relationship. Not helping matters is the fact that Jenna’s parents are in the midst of a separation.
To make matters worse, all of Michael’s friends seem completely overwhelmed by their lives. Chris (Casey Affleck) is newly married and a father but he finds himself going crazy, trying to deal with the demands of fatherhood. Izzy (Michael Weston) has had his heart broken by a woman and can’t seem to get over her; a problem he’s decided to solve by taking a road trip to South America. Kenny (Eric Christian Olsen) sleeps with a different woman every night of the week because he fears commitment.
In the midst of all this, Michael meets Kim (Rachel Bilson), a beautiful college girl, who finds herself instantly attracted to him. He’s forced to ask himself, does he really want marriage and a family, or should he just throw it all away for this girl who wants to sleep with him? While I’ve always thought Zach Braff seemed like a pretty cool guy, I had to wonder why these two gorgeous women would want to be with Michael. He is utterly bland and nondescript. He has no real personality and spend much of the film starring off into space while cool pop songs play in the background.
Clearly, the filmmakers would like us to believe that The Last Kiss is an honest look at relationships but the film comes across as a Hollywood fabrication of how people think and feel about the topic. Kim makes the film’s most profound statement when she says, “Relationships either work or they don’t.” Personally, I would hardly call that thought provoking. I also couldn’t help but feel Zach Braff already starred in (and wrote and directed) an excellent movie that covered the same basic ground as this one, with Garden State. As a result, it feels like he just went back to the same well for The Last Kiss.
That said, there are certain touches that ring true. The fights between Michael and Jenna are alarmingly realistic and the wide-eyed Kim is a typical college girl. Kudos to Tom Wilkinson’s loyal and wise old Dad — the only character who doesn’t at some point behave like an idiot. He has the wisdom of a man who has already endured and learned from the experiences of the mixed-up kids in the movie.
I preferred Braff’s Garden State for a film that best explores the difficulties of adulthood but others are bound to enjoy the humor and wisdom put forth by The Last Kiss.
Dreamworks brings The Last Kiss to Blu-ray in a 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer. The film has a healthy grain level that is hardly distracting, though it’s fairly apparent. Source noise is visible in whites, such as the tiles in bathroom walls, sofas, or sinks. There is also a small amount of dirt and a few scratches that pop on screen, but they aren’t a regular occurrence.
The film starts out with a subdued look and a couple of softer shots. Once the wedding reception scene plays out colors begin to blossom, with a healthy mix of pinks and numerous shades of green painting the screen and from that point on, there’s a pretty solid three dimensional feel to the film. Skin tones are nice and realistic, while hair constantly has mixed tones from light reflection, giving strands a lighter look in the darker manes. While this transfer isn’t superb, it is a welcome step up and definitely not a disappointment.
The Last Kiss features a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix that is a bit of a disappointment. It’s immediately notable that the film is amazingly quiet and hushed, especially compared to the volume of the menu. the dialogue was amazingly subdued, almost a mumble. I didn’t have much to worry about, since the film doesn’t have an aggressive sound design for the most part but when the college party scene hit, having my volume at a higher level than normal made me feel blown out.
The Blu-ray for The Last Kiss directly parallels the DVD release, with a lineup of special features that includes:
• Audio Commentaries – We are treated to two tracks, one featuring Zach Braff and director Tony Goldwyn, the other with Braff, Tony Goldwyn, Jacinda Barrett, Rachel Bilson, Michael Weston, and Eric Christian Olsen. The first track with Braff and Goldwyn is very lively, jovial, and full of tiny gaps in coverage. The discussion of the logistics in the sex scenes seemed to be an important issue to the duo. The large cast commentary is far faster flowing, lacking any real gaps.
• The Last Kiss – Filmmakers’ Perspective (SD, 2 min) – Producer Gary Lucchesi and director Tony Goldwyn discuss the merits of The Last Kiss, and what attracted them to it.
• The Last Kiss – Getting Together (SD, 26 min) – This feature covers the process of collecting the elements to create the film, from screenwriter Paul, to casting the actors in the film. The producers talk up the actors big time (making this feature feel a bit EPK), but it is nice to hear the discussion as to what characteristics they wanted the characters to have.
• The Last Kiss – Behind Our Favorite Scenes (SD, 8 min) – The cast and crew talk about their favorite moments in the film, and the reasons behind their choices, analyzing the happenings in the scenes.
• The Last Kiss – Last Thoughts (SD, 3 min) – The cast and crew box the film up to their views of the film as a whole.
• Music Video (SD, 3 min) – A music video for the Cary Brothers song “Ride” (performance version).
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 14 min) – Seven extended/alternate/deleted scenes from the film. If you enjoyed the girl on girl “action” early in the film, there is a bit more to be found in the first scene, while there is some hilarious sub-context as to why Iggy leaves the room that was (undeservedly) cut. Chris’ plight is more humanized, and far more fleshed out, leading one to understand his decision far better with his included scene. The closing monologue in the alternate endings are beyond unnecessary, while the “wrapping up everyone’s storylines” take was a slap in the face to the superior ending found in the film.
• Gag Reel (SD, 2 min) – A collection of forced gags, some of which are pretty funny.
• Theatrical Trailer (HD) – A trailer for the film presented in high def.
