Are you a cheater? No matter if you have or haven’t had an extra-relational affair as of yet, you have to ask yourself this question: could I ever cheat? Just because you haven’t cheated yet, doesn’t mean you aren’t a cheater…does it? It’s no wonder this topic is explored often in Hollywood (I’m referring to the movies, not the gossip columns). Hollywood seems to claim cheating is actually quite common…is it? The number of times it pops up in films that supposedly portray a realistic story could make anyone distrustful. Hopefully the true number of potential cheaters walking among us is dwarfed by the Hollywood number—but we forgive them this hyperbole because let’s face it, we’re fascinated by the various scenarios. Are you a cheater? We love the drama. Could I ever cheat?
The movie The Last Kiss is one of many movies that deals with this complex subject and attempts to play it on screen in a very humanized way. Kind of like how Woody Allen would deal with the topic, only not at all funny. The Last Kiss is actually filled with a number of first kisses, ranging in their levels of inappropriateness. The movie examines a group of four male friends and delves into their personal lives, hitting various relationship issues that are seemingly inevitable in any relationship. One guy is still madly in love with his ex and can’t seem to shake her from his mind. Another guy found the perfect girl: she’ll say “Yes” tonight, and not worry about tomorrow—until she changes her mind. The third guy feels trapped in his marriage and is thinking about abandoning her and their kid. And lastly, there’s Michael, whose girlfriend of three years gets pregnant and instead of handling it like the grown man he is, he decides cheating on her is the most mature decision.
Zach Braff’s Michael certainly isn’t the same gentlemanly type he played in Garden State. However, one similarity between The Last Kiss and the 2004 wannabe indie feature is the soundtrack. The problem with this likeness is this: where the music played an essential and appropriate role in Garden State, in The Last Kiss it seemed like a forced attempt to draw some emotion from the otherwise stale movie. Natalie Portman’s charisma was unfortunately also missing from this one.
The two leading ladies in Michael’s life are Jenna (Jacinda Barrett) and Kim (Rachel Bilson). I’m sure Barrett is a very decent actress, but I do not understand why they couldn’t have just cast an American girl to play Jenna, the Wisconsin small town gal. Barrett is Australian, and try as she might have, her Aussie accent crept into her lines as though it were a baby kangaroo peaking out his mom’s pouch after she told him to stay put. Barrett did provide a few of the only laugh-out-loud moments, however, in her violent reactions to discovering her boyfriend’s affair. In one scene Jenna draws a knife on Michael and flashes it wildly around the kitchen, and in another she tries to close him out of the front door and kicks him in the shin to force him out. Not quite Woody Allen, but certainly good enough for a screwball moment. And now onto the seductress, Kim. As much as I loved Bilson’s character on The O.C., the writing in The Last Kiss was not good enough to support the similar flair she attempted to bring to her portrayal of “the other woman.”
You would think the story and dialogue would’ve been better since the script was actually written by Paul Haggis, the guy who brought us two, back to back Best Picture winners at the Oscars: Million Dollar Baby and Crash. Then 2006 hits and he’s written The Last Kiss. Hopefully he’ll redeem himself in the future with another script like his winners. He did write the latest two Bond movies, but I’m not sure that completely redeems him of his mishap with Kiss. We’re all allowed a few mistakes. Maybe this was Haggis’ way of asking us all this one question: can you forgive them? Can you forgive Haggis this film? Can you forgive a cheater? While the film churns thoughts and has you asking yourself if you could cheat, it also presses you to answer whether you have it in yourself to forgive a transgression. Could I forgive a cheater? Not if it was with Rachel Bilson. She’s way too hot.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The Blu-ray has a nice, clear image and offers a plethora of extra features. It’s nice when extra features are able to shed some light on a scene or provides what the actors felt while making the picture, etc. The extra’s on The Last Kiss actually made me think even less of the movie. The gag reel was not at all funny. There are interviews with the cast, but the actors either got lost in the editing of the segment, or just had nothing enlightening to say. The director, Tony Goldwyn, really didn’t seem to know his own movie very well. And all of Zach Braff’s interviews ended up making him sound very arrogant, which I’m sure he’s not—but heck, after seeing this character of his—you never know.
"The Last Kiss" is on sale April 14, 2009 and is rated R. Drama, Romance. Directed by Tony Goldwyn. Written by Paul Haggis. Starring Blythe Danner, Casey Affleck, Jacinda Barrett, Rachel Bilson, Tom Wilkinson, Zach Braff.
