Reviews by Matt

You wake up one day and realize that your life has no more surprises and has become more or less pre-planned. This is exactly how Michael (Zach Braff) feels as “The Last Kiss” begins. His girlfriend Jenna (Jacinda Barrett) is pregnant and she is the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with. He sees his future unfolding and it scares him. Enter Kim (Rachel Bilson,) a woman he meets at a wedding. She is spontaneous and everything he wishes he had. As their relationship grows, Michael’s relationship with Jenna grows more strained.

There are a lot of people who are going to compare this to Braff’s last film “Garden State.” Sure there are similarities to “Garden State,” but this is a more grown up version. The movie is about being ready to grow up and accepting the responsibilities and the struggles to face the future; it’s a scary thing to be forced to do (take it from a college student.) The movie is about confronting that future and taking it on.
Zach Braff is a great comedic actor and it’s good to see him doing something more serious then “scrubs.” He did a good job in “Garden State,” but here we get to see a lot more emotion and a wider range. There are some very powerful scenes involving Braff that speak to the talent he has as an actor. We see him struggle with his love of his wife, while wondering “what if” he took a chance on Kim. We see him make the mistake and realize what he had to begin with and do whatever it takes to get Jenna back.

One of the strengths of this movie is the supporting cast. All have similar problems. Jenna’s parents, Anna (Blythe Danner) and Stephen (Tom Wilkinson,) who have been married 30 years, face an uncertain future of their own. They are growing apart and Anna feels that she has to leave her husband. Michael’s friend Chris (Casey Affleck) is having trouble in his marriage as well. As hard as he tries to help with his son, nothing is good enough for his wife. Michael’s other friends Kenny (Eric Christian Olsen) and Izzy (Michael Weston) face the realization that they have not done much with their lives. The supporting cast delivers some amazing performances and all of their story lines help to make the main one all the more powerful. Michael doesn’t want to get married because he doesn’t know any couples that stay together forever. Jenna offers her parents as an example and to see a strong 30-year marriage fall apart, only makes Jenna worry more.

Of these the best performance is Tom Wilkinson. Stephen loves his wife, but doesn’t pay as much attention to her as she would like. When she talks to him about it, he makes jokes and she feels that the love is gone from their marriage. He seems like this person who is unaffected by the threats, but when she leaves, he is devastated. One of the most poignant scenes of the movie is when we see him sitting on the couch heartbroken that his wife is gone. She is outside watching and sees the pain he is in. No words are spoken in this scene, but it is one of the most powerful and moving scenes in the entire movie.

The past few movies I have gone to see (Snakes on a Plane, Crank,) have been just plain fun movies. Nothing spectacular and nothing to take too seriously, but “The Last Kiss” is just the opposite. It made me think and reflect on my fast approaching future. It is a great movie that takes a look at growing up.


8 out of 10
Rated R for sexuality, nudity and language.
Runtime: 115 min