The Last Kiss

by John

The Last Kiss is a muddled and underdeveloped film that, without Zach Braff's engrossing performance and a good helping of witty dialogue, would've been sinking far below mediocrity. However, the film still only manages to drift right underneath it.

A remake of the 2001 Italian film L'Ultimo Bacio, this version is for the most part a typically safe and glossy American crowd-pleaser, although the grittier European sensibilities of the original premise emerge from time to time. The story mainly deals with the relationship between Michael (Zach Braff) and Jenna (Jacinda Barrett), a couple on the verge of approaching 30 with a baby on the way. Despite a good job, a seemingly stable relationship with Jenna and supportive in-laws, his fears about there being "no more surprises" in an adult life that "feels pretty planned out" are about to take their toll on him.

Michael's hidden insecurities surface when he meets Kim (Rachel Bilson), a young college student who ultimately is too persistent for Michael's better intentions. When his passive acceptance of Kim's flirtatious behavior finally materialize into action, Michael must deal with the possibility of losing the woman he loves.

This storyline alone would have given the film ample material to work with. However, screenwriter Paul Haggis attempts to cram in no less than four more storylines that focus on the subject of examine disintegrating relationships: three of them center on Michael's friends, and the fourth on Jenna's parents, Anna (Blythe Danner) and Stephen (Tom Wilkinson). Granted, these storylines are taken from the original Italian film, but Haggis and director Tony Goldwyn simply falter in attempting to juggle all these characters and conflicts, successful in only leaving them malnourished to varying degrees.

Not only are these four subplots underdeveloped, but they even feel dramatically unnecessary, as they never tie into the film's main focus on Michael. If the filmmakers had devoted more screen time on the camaraderie between these four friends, for example, this would've helped in balancing the film's many storylines by balancing them all on a reliable fulcrum of sorts. Instead, the audience is adrift in a sea of disjointed characters and conflicts, all competing for screen time in vain.

Weak subplots might have been forgivable to an extent if Michael and Jenna's own story had been fully rounded out, but even their relationship ultimately devolves into a superficial portrayal. Jenna spends most of the movie screaming at Michael for cheating on her, while Kim does not develop beyond the stereotypical young, flirty seductress who throws an emotionally painful wrench in someone else's relationship. Plus, the complexities of what goes into Michael's betrayal are never fully elaborated, beyond his repetitive apologizing.

Other screenwriting elements in the film are a mixed bag: the dialogue is often funny, realistic, and well-written in nearly every scene (except for a few leaden clunkers uttered by Kim and Jenna from time to time), but the film's tone is schizophrenic, never successfully blending comedy and drama.

The sole unfailing breath of fresh air here is Braff's affable and consistently enjoyable performance. Watching him react humorously to a variety of characters and situations, or wrestle realistically with his conflicting feelings of love and lust, shows the reliability of Braff's impeccable dramatic and comedic timing. He's forced to fill in the shortcomings of Haggis' writing with his acting, and it's remarkable that he's able to wring such an enjoyable and watchable performance out of such parched material. His fellow actors and actresses also perform admirably, most notably Casey Affleck and Michael Weston, as well as Jacinda Barrett, but their performances are mostly limited to perhaps a few scenes of developed attention, before the script's superficial characterizations set in.

Ultimately, the subject of failing relationships has had much better silver screen treatments in the past from all over the world. Working from Haggis' flawed script that director Goldwyn was unable to breathe much vitality into, The Last Kiss falters both in concept and execution. It's certainly refreshing to see a protagonist whose weaknesses are fully exploited and lead to consequences that aren't resolved by a clichéd Hollywood ending. Unfortunately, when the story manages a rare glimpse of originality, it's merely a reminder of what the film isn't but should've been: an honest, emotionally affecting examination of how men and women grapple with the responsibilities of romantic relationships during adulthood.