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Thankfully, I was in the former group when it came to enjoyment levels with The Last Kiss.
While the flick did terribly in cinemas (a trend which seems to be a
worryingly regular trend for Zach Braff's movie career), I have to
admit that this is one of the most accurate mid-30's relationships
films since The Big Chill. The
flick follows Braff as Michael, an 'almost thirty' who is in a long
term relationship with the beautiful and perfect Jenna - however, as
his 30th birthday approaches he begins to be haunted by the thought of
never kissing another woman in his life. Fearful of the thought that
life has no more "surprises" in store for him.
Enter a young, sexy and available college student (played to perfection by The OCs
Rachel Bilson) who becomes smitten with Michael after a chance meeting
at a mutual friends wedding. It's a classic case of a carrot in front
of a donkey - will Michael take the bait - go for one last surprise and
avoid the unavoidable fate of growing up?
While the bulk of The Last Kiss
is hinged on the plight of Michael's cradle robbing adventure, the
films real strength comes from the supporting ensemble. Casey Affleck
continues his fantastic run of supporting characters (he is one of the
best things about the Oceans
films in my opinion) as Michael's work buddy who is ready to pack it in
with his wife and child - fearing that unhappiness between his wife and
himself will affect the child more so than a divorce would. Eric
Christian Olsen (best known from the woeful Dumb & Dumberer) is fantastic as the 'cool, sexy' one of the group who soon comes to realise that his life isn't as great as he believes.
Sure,
a lot of this seems quite cliche' - and in a way - the initial story
arc for each character is. However, it's the way director Tony
Goldwyn and writer Gabrielle Muccino (who also had input into both
Million Dollar Baby and Crash) give every element of the film (in particular, the dialouge) a fantastically realistic and relatable touch. It's truly superb.
Having
said that, I showed the DVD to my mum (a lover of romantic comedies)
and she reported back that the flick "Bored her shitless". While that
may not have been a direct quote, that seemed to be the general
consensus. Much like Garden State
or many other monotonal 'coming of age' flicks out there - they really
rely on the audience member being in a similar situation to the
characters on screen. So if you're...well...happy with your life -
there will be little insight to gain here. As for those on the verge of
the "What do I do?" stage of their life - The Last Kiss will come as a confronting look at your own existence.
The soundtrack is fantastic too, no doubt inspired by the success of Zach Braff's indie soundtrack from Garden State a few years back. There's everything from Snow Patrol
(amazingly they actually had songs prior to Greys Anatomy, Shock
Horror!!), to Aimee Mann, Ray LaMontagnew and of course some vintage Coldplay. It all comes together and complements the mood of the flick perfectly - somber, yet somewhat hopeful. While it was promoted as simply "another romantic comedy" - The Last Kiss
is miles apart from the puffy, sugary pieces of filmatic romantic
comedy tripe that is served up week to week at the cinemas (thats
right, I'm looking at you Drew Barrymore!!). While this one won't have
you leaving the couch as a shoe in for some "Friday Night Snuggles"
with your significant other (like Love Actually
will), it will leave you satisfied that the writers, performers and
director have put together one of the few accurate reflections of the
down-side of growing up (and no, not in an American Pie "I have to lose my virginity" kind of way) - even if it does mean ending the night with a depressing realisation. EXTRAS
Sadly,
there isn't much on offer here at all. Not surprising, considering that
the flick took a measley $11 million at the US Box Office and didn't
even get a release in Oz - so of course the production company isn't
going to worry to much about the extras.
There is a rather
entertaining commentary with the cast of the film and director Tony
Goldwyn (son of Samuel Goldwyn) - but other than that - not even a
trailer is on offer! Heck, they've even given the obligatory Photo
Gallery a miss!!
But don't be fooled by lack of studio interest. This one is well worth taking a look at.
Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: 30%
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