Last Kiss is a dramedy about soon to be 30 yr olds in and out of relationships and how they deal with their lives. It’s a very good movie, with some laughs, some…nice visuals…and a lot of heart.
Directed by actor / director Tony Goldwyn, best known as the bad guy in Ghost, and adapted from an Italian flick by Paul Haggis who adapted MILLION DOLLAR BABY, Last Kiss is mostly an ensemble piece, but Zack Braff and Jacinda Barrett have the main story here, a mostly happy couple soon to have a baby, and the drama that ensues when a nubile Rachel Bilson enters the scene with a monkey wrench.
All three are excellent in their roles, but Braff and Barrett really impressed me the most here because he’s so well known for the zany (but heartfelt) Scrubs, and she, well she started on MTV’s Real World way back in the day, and has made a bunch of stuff I’ve never seen since. But she’s really good and we care for her instantly. Or maybe I’m just easy. But even though Braff’s character is far from perfect, he’s likable too. Bilson’s not as likable, but that’s OK.
Casey Affleck (who probably gets tired of being known as Ben’s brother) and Lauren Lee Smith are also in a relationship, and also have drama, but frankly, theirs is not as interesting. Still great acting though, especially from Smith who I previously only knew as Emma the telepath (empath?) on Mutant X, the syndicated sorta super-hero show from Marvel, but totally unrelated to the other “X” franchises, either in the comic book universe or on screen.
Anyway, nice work!
Eric Christian Olsen, Michael Weston, Tom Wilkinson, Blythe Danner and a rather yummy Cindy Sampson are all in the mix too, and I truly think everybody is great in their roles. The movie works because the characters are interesting and well played, and also because the situations are real and you can relate, even if you’re not exactly experiencing the same things.
When I first heard about this movie, I thought it was a romantic comedy but it’s not. Not at all. I would say it’s more drama than otherwise, and it’s a nice Rated R. Boobs and everything. Really!
Good job all around.