The Last Kiss (www.the-usher.com)

"I feel like my whole life is planned out"

At twenty-nine Michael (Braff) thinks his whole life is planned out for him. His perfect girlfriend Jenna (Barrett) is pregnant, they are talking about getting married and are about to start looking into buying a house. He should be happy but as all his friends try and solve their own problems and move on with their lives, the seeds of doubt start to be sown in the shape of beautiful college student Kim (Bilson).

Academy Award winning screenwriter Paul Haggis turns his considerable skill towards adapting the critically acclaimed Italian movie 'L'ultimo bacio' for an English speaking audience but is this just another Hollywood remake?

Most of us will come to a pivotal point when everything will come together and we will start on a path that will set up the rest of our lives but for some people that is the most frightening thing they could ever imagine. The film looks at the relationship of Michael and Jenna, a couple who have been together for three years and have just discovered that Jenna is pregnant. While Jenna believes that their relationship is perfect and they should get married, buy a house and get ready to start their family, Michael isn't so sure. Feeling like his life has been mapped out for him, Michael is tempted by an incredibly beautiful college student who flirts with him at his friends wedding. As his best friends have to deal with their own problems, Michael makes a decision that will affect the rest of his life.

What Paul Haggis has always done well as a writer is portray human problems and emotions without any of the usual Hollywood gloss. Never afraid to pull any punches with films like 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'Crash', the Oscar winning writer prides himself on realism and 'The Last Kiss' is just the same. Michael isn't portrayed as a cheeky chap who is cheating on his girlfriend and we are supposed to love him for doing it. You ask yourself, as the character does, 'What is he doing?' He has the perfect girlfriend. Beautiful, intelligent and someone everyone loves, Jenna is perfect and is carrying his child, so why does he feel trapped and that is freedom is gone. Even if you haven't done this yourself, you will know someone who has either done this or had it done to them.

Committing yourself to one person, buying a house and starting a family are some of the biggest moments of anyone's life. When they all come at once, for Michael this is all too much. At twenty-nine he believes his life is planned out for him and that is won't be allowed to deviate ever again. The exceptionally talented Zak Braff breathes life into the character and makes him extremely easy to watch, even as his life implodes around him. It is Braff everyman persona that makes him such a watchable actor and as he did in 'Garden State', he proves again that he is just as good a dramatic actor as he is a comedic one.

Supporting Zak Braff is an excellent ensemble cast. Jacinda Barrett continues to make a real impact in Hollywood and her role as Jenna. She is instantly likeable, making Michael's betrayal even more terrible but it is the way the actress portrays her reaction to discovering what he has done that shows how good a performer she is. Rachel Bilson leaves the 'O.C.' behind her and shows how talented she really is. As the adorable Kim who chases Michael into her bed after he reveals how unhappy he is, is exceptionally good and proves that she will have a glittering career waiting for her as soon as she leaves Orange County. Casey Affleck, Eric Christian Olsen and Michael Weston are good as Michael's best friends but unfortunately they don't have enough screen time to develop their characters. Tom Wilkinson and Blythe Danner are as brilliant as ever as Jenna parents Stephen and Anna, who are going through their own relationship crisis. This storyline has a little more development time but we do need to know a little more about their background to get more out of their predicament.

'The Last Kiss' is a quality relationship drama that only suffers from a lack of time. While the Michael and Jenna story gets to run its full course, the supporting storylines suffer from a lack of development and screen time. This aside, the film is still superbly performed, expertly written and well directed by Tony Goldwyn but just misses out from been exceptional. This is a passionate kiss but not one that will make you instantly fall in love.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the presentation is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary by Zach Braff and director Tony Goldwin
The star and the director provide a funny and informative commentary about the movie and how they became involved. The pair talks passionately about the project highlighting the cast and how the music drives the script. They also discuss the impact of the Italian original and offer some behind the scenes stories from the production.

Commentary by Zach Braff, Tony Goldwin, Jacinda Barrett, Rachel Bilson, Eric Christian Olsen and Michael Weston
This very funny cast and director commentary compliments the film perfectly. The group talk about their characters and how the script reflected many things that they had gone through in there own lives. There is a lot of banter here, with each of them talk about their scenes and some of them getting embarrassed about watching themselves on screen, especially with the rest of the cast laughing at them. This is a good commentary that fans will enjoy.

Filmmaker's Prospective (2.32 mins)
Producer Gary Lucchesi and director Tony Goldwyn talk about adapting the Italian movie 'L'ultimo Bacio' and what attracted them to the project.

Getting Together (26.40 mins)
Director Tony Goldwyn, producer Gary Lucchesi, screenwriter Paul Haggis and stars Zach Braff, Jacinda Barrett, Casey Affleck, Rachel Bilson, Michael Weston, Eric Christian Olsen, Marley Shelton, Lauren Lee Smith, Blythe Danner and Tom Wilkinson talk about getting involved in the movie, casting and each actor talks about their character.

Behind our favourite scenes (8.26 mins)
Director Tony Goldwyn, producer Gary Lucchesi and stars Zach Braff, Jacinda Barrett, Rachel Bilson, Blythe Danner and Tom Wilkinson reveal their favourite scenes in the movie.

Last Thoughts (3.26 mins)
Director Tony Goldwyn, producer Gary Lucchesi and stars Zach Braff, Jacinda Barrett, Casey Affleck, Eric Christian Olsen, Marley Shelton and Blythe Danner talk about what the film meant to them and how the audience will react to watching it.

Music Video: Cory Brother 'Ride' performance version with Zach Braff introduction (3.16 mins)
Watch the music video for the song taken from the original movie soundtrack, which was directed by Zach Braff.

Deleted Scenes (13.58 mins)
Entitled 'Bachelor Party extended', 'Tree house scenes extended', 'Izzy and Arianna on the phone', 'Chris and Lisa fight', 'In the Kitchen', 'Kim chases Michael' and 'Alternative ending 1 & 2', these deleted or extended scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary track or introduction to reveal why they were removed.

Gag Reel (2.40 mins)
Watch the cast and crew have fun on set and make a hash of their lines Theatrical Trailer Watch the preview that preceded the film's release at the cinema Trailers Previews of 'Miss Potter' and 'Bobby'

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'The Last Kiss' is very good. With two commentary tracks and a plethora of featurettes and other bonus features, fans will be very pleased with this DVD package.

DVD

Garden State

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2006