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The Last Kiss
- Review Date: December 21, 2006
- R
- Genre: Drama
- 2006
Common Sense Media says
Cheating, breaking up, making up. Adults only.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that while this film has the shape of a romantic comedy -- young men afraid to commit while their partners are ready -- it's labeled a "dramedy" and includes some unusually explicit sex scenes (naked bodies and some thrusting visible) and language (lots of the f-word, as well as other profanity and sexual slang). The plot follows young men and women (and one set of parents) who can't agree on commitments, with one child and one pregnancy involved. Acting out their disagreements, characters cheat on one another and lie. Characters drink frequently, smoke cigarettes, and, in one scene, share a joint.
What's the story?
THE LAST KISS follows four friends facing adult responsibilities and commitments. Feeling as if he's "in crisis," Michael (Zach Braff) typifies the group: His "perfect" girlfriend Jenna (Jacinda Barrett) is unexpectedly pregnant. As Michael sits frozen at her parents' dinner table following her announcement of their good news, his face is plainly panicked, but no one around him sees. Chris (Casey Affleck) is feeling similarly out of control, partly because he's recently had a baby with his wife, Lisa (Lauren Lee Smith). Both Chris and Michael see a nightmare version of themselves in Izzy (Michael Weston), so desperate over his lost love (Marley Shelton) that he begs her to take him back in public (at yet another friend's wedding). They see a kind of ideal in Kenny (Eric Christian Olsen), who brings a different girl home every night. At 29 years old, tending bar in town, long-haired, buff Kenny sees no reason to "grow up." His buddies envy his seeming lack of fear.
Is it any good?
Based on Gabriele Muccino's L'Ultimo Bacio (2001), THE LAST KISS makes light of the men's inabilities to speak their concerns and desires, in part by setting them against needy, sometimes sitcommish women. Since the movie mostly takes the boys' points of view, Lisa is never shown without the wailing child on her hip, demanding that Chris help her, because she is -- yet again -- exhausted. From his perspective, she and the baby are almost frightening: They wait outside the bathroom door for his emergence while he hides his face in his hands, worrying at his own resentment. Aside from repeated shots of Lisa-with-baby and Jenna worrying about her parents, who are on the verge of their own break-up after 30 years of marriage, the movie includes a particular temptation for Michael. Lovely, preciously young college student Kim (Rachel Bilson of The O.C.) takes an inexplicable liking to this dour architect, offering herself as his "last chance at happiness."
The men make choices, some poor, some inevitable, while the women wait for them to decide. Michael explains an especially bad decision as a function of his being "afraid." While it features lots of well-acted, loosely connected dramedic sketches-as-scenes, the movie's general direction is all too clear and conventional. The men will remain afraid, and the women will put up with it.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the difficulty of making commitments. How do movies (like this one) promote the stereotype that men resist and women desire commitment (specifically marriage)? What messages does the movie convey about women in general?
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AGE
suprisingly educational
this film should be required viewing for any teenages/young adults thinking about jumping into marriage or kids early.
i didn't realize it was an R when i first watched it with my mother. while it definitely was for older teens, she used it as a good oppurtunity for a lecture on what babies and marriages really look like, and how it can get extremely messy.
i thought the movie was very realistic, and defintely showed different reactions to similiar scenarios amomg the characters.
overall- i saw this at 14 and was fine, but i'm fairly mature for my age. theres nothing in it that will shock the average 14+ viewer, but i think its best suited to 16+.
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AGE
Whirlwind of Stupidity!
Coming from a Zach Braff fan, I was more than dissapointed with this movie. Not only did this movie have unnecessarily long and thorough sex scenes, but the movie had no plot or meaning. It dragged the audience around with no location in mind as to where we were headed. THIS PLOT WENT NO WHERE! And i love Rachel Bilson, but her character was the most annoying i ever saw in my life! Same with zach braffs annoying girlfriend.
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April 9, 2008
AGE
Hated it!
This is possibly the worst movie of the year. We left feeling so incrediably depressed, after a seemly good first date. We are fans of Zach Braff, and this movie was terrible! Avoid this movie at all costs!
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| Studio: | Paramount Pictures |
| Director: | Tony Goldwyn |
| Cast: | Jacinda Barrett, Rachel Bilson, Zach Braff |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 115 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | September 15, 2006 |
| DVD release date: | December 26, 2006 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | sexuality, nudity and language. |
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