The Last Kiss - Palm Beach Post movie review

'The Last Kiss' explores the limits of fidelity

By HAP ERSTEIN
Palm Beach Post

As he nears 30, Michael concedes that he has a good life. He has a rewarding job as an architect, a supportive bunch of guy friends and a longtime relationship with a woman he loves. So why is he so afraid of growing up and making a permanent commitment to Jenna?

Screenwriter Paul Haggis, who tapped into some of our primal fears about racism with the Oscar-winning Crash, zeroes in on relationship phobia with the equally on-target, unformulaic romantic comedy The Last Kiss, based on an Italian film from 2002, L'Ultimo Bacio.

DreamWorks SKG

'The Last Kiss'

A-

The verdict: A well-crafted comic drama of commitment and infidelity, starring a highly empathetic Braff.

Director: Tony Goldwyn
Starring: Zach Braff, Jacinda Barrett, Rachel Bilson, Tom Wilkinson, Blythe Danner
Run time: 115 minutes
Release date: Sept. 15, 2006
Rating: R for sexuality, nudity and language.
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In contrast to most movies in the genre, Michael (Zach Braff of TV's Scrubs and the film Garden State) begins with a match that is ideal for him. Now all he has to do is learn to grow up and not screw things up between himself and Jenna (Jacinda Barrett, Poseidon). Strike one against him happens when she announces that she is pregnant, and still the word marriage does not come out of his mouth.

But that is a mere ripple compared to the seismic jolt when he meets seductive, decade-younger college student Kim (The O.C.'s Rachel Bilson) at the wedding of one of his buddies and, against his better judgment, finds himself pursuing her. Michael knows he is messing up, but the thought of never kissing another woman again once he is tied down so freaks him out that he becomes helpless to resist Kim's magnetic attraction.

The Last Kiss is expertly written, with a palpable dramatic tension mixed in with smart-mouthed quips. And is it well-directed by Tony Goldwyn (A Walk on the Moon), who understands the value of not making this story feel too slick or polished. Still, the element that makes it all work is Braff, whose innate likability allows Michael to step over the fidelity line without turning off the audience.

As in 2004's Garden State, he is a highly empathetic soul, still lost and confused, just a little older without being any more mature. Sure, his timing is flawless on the comic banter, but it his sweet befuddlement that keeps The Last Kiss in balance.

Nor is this just another men-are-worms-who-can't-be-trusted movies, for Michael's need to stray is paralleled by Jenna's mother (Blythe Danner), who confesses to stumbling into an affair when she sensed her marriage (to college professor Tom Wilkinson) growing stale. The Last Kiss not only explores the limits of fidelity, but asks how much honesty is advisable, as the middle-aged couple's relationship — like Michael and Jenna's — becomes threatened by a need to confess.

Casting is on-target all around, with cool beauty Barrett contrasted with the steamier Bilson. And it is easy to envision Barrett growing into Danner's classic looks. Also helping to complete the portrait of male immaturity is Michael's circle of pals, each grappling with his own Peter Pan complex, friends for many years who bring to mind the Baltimore gang in Diner.

In contrast to the recent Trust the Man, The Last Kiss does not head straight for the hokey Hollywood wrap-up, but is craftier in its resolution. It satisfies as an entertainment, while leaving enough lingering to spark some heated conversations on the ride home.