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| The Last Kiss (2006)
 
Starring: Zach Braff, Jacinda Barrett, Casey Affleck, Michael Weston, Eric Christian Olsen, Rachel Bilson, Blythe Danner, Tom WilkinsonDirector: Tony Goldwyn Rating: R Category: Drama  |
Over the past five years, Zach Braff has quickly developed into one of the most promising young talents in Hollywood. From his lead role on the NBC comedy “Scrubs" to his directorial debut, “Garden State,” the writer/director/actor seems capable of just about anything – including undertaking the role of soundtrack producer on his last two projects, as well as launching the careers of his musician friends in his spare time. Of course, this also means that he's keeping very busy, so much so that for his latest film, “The Last Kiss,” the actor has chosen to do just that: act. Unfortunately, Braff is probably the weakest thing about the film, and though DreamWorks seems insistent on promoting it as a companion piece to “Garden State,” it’s far from it.
It seems that the perfect life isn’t what it used to be, and though Michael (Braff) has a great job, a loving girlfriend and a supportive group of childhood friends (including Casey Affleck, Eric Christian Olson and Michael Weston), he’s still unhappy. His girlfriend, Jenna (Jacinda Barrett), is also three months pregnant, and while she wants to buy a house and get married, Michael’s hesitant about making the dive. When he catches the eye of a much younger girl (Rachel Bilson) at his friend’s wedding, however, Michael is forced to choose between love, lust and the last woman he’ll ever kiss.
And despite being the central focus of the film, the love triangle is actually the least interesting of all the storylines. Whether it’s the sudden separation of Jenna’s parents (Tom Wilkinson and Blythe Danner), the broken marriage between Chris (Affleck) and his wife, or Izzy’s (Weston) unspoken love for his dying father, many of the film’s subplots offer much richer life lessons than “cheating is bad”; which is essentially what Braff’s side of the tale is all about. It’s also strange to see a 29-year-old professional sacrifice a relationship with his mature girlfriend in exchange for a childish party girl. True, Bilson is much hotter than Barrett, but I don’t think any man would actually want to date someone who still made mix tapes. Especially ones that are gift-wrapped and hand-delivered to your workplace.
The “Scrubs” star also doesn’t seem very comfortable in such a strict drama, and though he tries to play the funnyman when he can, the subject matter is too tight-lipped to allow for his usual antics. Even the darker humor of “Garden State” seems inappropriate here, since you never really know when it’s okay to laugh. Luckily, the rest of the actors are good at playing it serious, and while Wilkinson and Danner’s roles have been squeezed into the film most likely as a way to attract a wider audience, they do a phenomenal job as the elderly couple struggling to keep the spark alive. Affleck also pulls his dramatic weight as Michael’s best friend, and Olson (who parades around the screen naked for much of the film) gets all of the laughs as the wild card, but it’s Barrett’s performance in the final act that steals the show.
Regrettably, “The Last Kiss” isn’t as easy of a recommendation to Braff fans as I had initially expected. In fact, it’s a pretty tough sell to any single group - since a majority of the people that see this will be far too young to actually learn anything from the message, while most twentysomethings smart enough to use a condom probably haven’t had to worry about any unexpected “surprises.” Still, for a film released only a few months before Oscar season, “The Last Kiss” is the perfect warm-up as your brain transitions from mindless summer fun to serious winter drama. Just remember not to bring another woman to the movie, because if your girlfriend finds out, well, let’s just call it irony.
DVD Review:
Mediocre as the film may be, the DVD release for “The Last Kiss” is actually a decent single-disc effort that includes two commentary tracks and nearly an hour of bonus material. Sadly, the two audio commentaries (one with director Tony Goldwyn and star Zach Braff, and another with Goldwyn, Braff and fellow co-stars Jacinda Barrett, Rachel Bilson, Michael Weston and Eric Christian Olsen) aren’t very exciting, and while the second track is much more lively, the cast/crew don’t discuss too much about the actually making of the film. The 40-minute making-of featurette (which is split up into four parts) includes a behind-the-scenes look at casting (“Getting Together”) and some of the actors’ favorite scenes. Also included is a Braff-directed music video for Cary Brothers’ “Ride,” seven deleted/extended scenes (including two very similar alternate endings), and a short gag reel that really isn’t all that funny.
~Jason Zingale
jzingale@bullz-eye.com