The Last Kiss   

Michael: Zach Braff

Jenna: Jacinda Barrett

Chris: Casey Affleck

Kim: Rachel Bilson

Anna: Blythe Danner

Stephen: Tom Wilkinson

Directed by Tony Goldwyn

Screenplay by Paul Haggis

Based on the motion picture L'ultimo bacio,

written by Gabriele Muccino

The Last Kiss focuses on the anxieties faced by guys nearing their 30s face as they transition into adulthood.  The film was written by Oscar-winner Paul Haggis, the mind behind last year’s manipulative Crash.   

The Last Kiss succeeds here where Haggis's Crash failed.  Crash used broad strokes to create unreal situations that forced racial tension in order to make a point.  Thusly, the entire film did not ring true.  Everything is on a smaller scale in The Last Kiss and feels more genuine.  It also doesn't hurt, though, that the film is less stylized.  The actors all give realistic performances, highlighted by the main couple played by Zach Braff and Jacinda Barrett.  

Braff continues his string of strong performances as Michael, bringing to life his reservations and fears about his future.  There comes that point in some men's lives where they feel there is no turning back.  Michael, faced with Jenna's pregnancy and desire to get married, has reached that point.  It also doesn't hurt that a beautiful young woman enters the picture at just the right time.  The temptation is there and he battles with whether he should take it.  

The other friends represent the varying stages of adulthood for people in their late 20s.  The guy who refuses to grow up, trying to maintain his college lifestyle.  The guy pining for the failed relationship of the only girlfriend he's ever known.  The couple faced with growing responsibility and the growing realization that they are not compatible.  And the older couple facing the difficulty of sustaining a marriage.  

There are some impressive scenes here involving Jenna and Michael during a difficult period, and it’s a testament to both actors that they pull it off so well.  There’s really no one to really root for here because everyone’s faults are elucidated very effectively.  But who doesn’t have faults?  And is it better to forgive, forget, or just move on?  

A lot of the points emphasized in The Last Kiss are not new to moviegoers: the fact that we hurt the ones we love; or that temptation in the guise of a beautiful young brunette is easy to succumb to.  It’s the realistic way The Last Kiss handles these issues that enables it to stand out from the rest as an excellent film about relationships and growing older.