2008 Woodie Awards
The Last Kiss Can Kiss Off
The latest effort from director Tony Goldwyn is the last movie a guy would want to watch.
David Leng
Issue date: 9/20/06 Section: Entertainment
"The Last Kiss" begins with Michael (Zach Braff) briefly narrating to the audience the woes of his life as a soon-to-be dad in a three-year relationship with his lovely fiancÈe Jenna (Jacinda Barret). Despite his sincere love for his fiancÈe, Michael just can't help but regret the end of his youth as a single bachelor. The entire story centers around four male friends and their confrontations with the sudden onset of adulthood.
Screenwriter Paul Haggis tries to bring to the audience every imaginable source of amorous gloom a 29-year-old guy could have in his life, and all four male characters had something different to weep about.
Braff's character struggled with an early midlife crisis at the age of 29, which made him feel as if "everything is pretty planned out."
In his attempt to add a little flavor to his daily routine, Braff has an affair with a 19-year-old girl, and from that comes the brutal breakup with his girlfriend, played by Jacinda Barret.
Their acting is believable and pleasantly surprising, considering Braff's limited experience at solemnity. Barret gives a
flat-out solid performance, and was difficult to resist as the victimized girlfriend.
This script's major downside is screenwriter Haggis' attempt to mold it into a little bit of
everything that everyone can love. It's not really a comedy, although it does have its funny moments. It's not a dead-serious drama either, as romantic woes are not the most stoic problems to have. It would have been better to stick to just one genre than to have the audience switching in and out of moods during the movie.
The pace of the movie was somewhat slow, and at
times, painfully so. Even the film's target female audience might find the first 40 minutes of the film difficult to get through.
Once the drama begins to take place, though, most ladies would probably enjoy the seemingly
endless monologues by the male characters, who
are trying to let out their deepest feelings to their mates.
On that note, most guys will definitely want to avoid this movie on account of its feminine qualities; this is undoubtedly one of the most
testosterone-deprived movies to come out this year. In comparison, "Sweet November" had more action than "The Last Kiss".
For a film that was written to cater to a specific audience, "The Last Kiss" accomplished its' mission with honors, but because of the story's lack of depth and sobriety, it appears
too much like a teenage film than a serious effort at examining relationship problems.
This movie will not be a contender for any award this year, but for the ladies out there who are looking for a nice slice of chick flick, this one is for you.
Screenwriter Paul Haggis tries to bring to the audience every imaginable source of amorous gloom a 29-year-old guy could have in his life, and all four male characters had something different to weep about.
Braff's character struggled with an early midlife crisis at the age of 29, which made him feel as if "everything is pretty planned out."
In his attempt to add a little flavor to his daily routine, Braff has an affair with a 19-year-old girl, and from that comes the brutal breakup with his girlfriend, played by Jacinda Barret.
Their acting is believable and pleasantly surprising, considering Braff's limited experience at solemnity. Barret gives a
flat-out solid performance, and was difficult to resist as the victimized girlfriend.
This script's major downside is screenwriter Haggis' attempt to mold it into a little bit of
everything that everyone can love. It's not really a comedy, although it does have its funny moments. It's not a dead-serious drama either, as romantic woes are not the most stoic problems to have. It would have been better to stick to just one genre than to have the audience switching in and out of moods during the movie.
The pace of the movie was somewhat slow, and at
times, painfully so. Even the film's target female audience might find the first 40 minutes of the film difficult to get through.
Once the drama begins to take place, though, most ladies would probably enjoy the seemingly
endless monologues by the male characters, who
are trying to let out their deepest feelings to their mates.
On that note, most guys will definitely want to avoid this movie on account of its feminine qualities; this is undoubtedly one of the most
testosterone-deprived movies to come out this year. In comparison, "Sweet November" had more action than "The Last Kiss".
For a film that was written to cater to a specific audience, "The Last Kiss" accomplished its' mission with honors, but because of the story's lack of depth and sobriety, it appears
too much like a teenage film than a serious effort at examining relationship problems.
This movie will not be a contender for any award this year, but for the ladies out there who are looking for a nice slice of chick flick, this one is for you.
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