| Written by Jan James Stetter, on 25-06-2007 22:01 |
Media Maven: "The Last Kiss" Movie Review
The Cincy Chic Media Maven, Jan Stetter, reviews "The Last Kiss." She tells you why this film is good for the actors' careers, but a big disappointment for the audience.
The Last Kiss
Zach Braff, Jacinda Barrett, Casey Affleck, Rachel Bilson
What was the significance of the title of the movie, The Last Kiss? The
Kiss of Death? The Last Kiss of Freedom? People making commitments and
then “Kissing their lives away” because entering into the institution
of marriage is a sentence of downhill drudgery? Think again. In fact,
rent this movie to see for yourself if it presented a biased view of
the downfall of rendering one’s life freely to another.
The Last Kiss is a film where the lead character and girlfriend have
been together for three years. Life and love is good. Circumstances
force them to consider the next step of their relationship. Then a
showcase of clichéd stereotypical couples fills the interim of this
movie.
"The Last Kiss" is another benchmark in Zach Braff’s film career. It
also was Rachel Bilson’s film debut. There are no problems with the
charming Zach Braff playing the cad protagonist. He does his job very
well. And Rachel Bilson as the younger temptress is believable. Jacinda
Barrett as the spurned lover is painfully convincing. Women would most
certainly empathize with her character.
Blythe Danner and Tom Wilkinson are the seasoned actors who represent
the “standard, boring, sexless” characterization of a dead marriage.
How unfortunate in this movie that for all its effort in telling a
story about choices and commitments, it failed to balance or even
validate that there do, in fact, exist some real life “standard,
still-copulating-and-enjoying-it, monogamous” vibrant marriages.
Rachel Bilson’s character points out that “Marriage as an institution
was formed when the expected life span for an adult was thirty years.”
Okay, its common knowledge that marriages often outlive the zest, the
desire, the commitment it takes to keep it fresh and engaging. We get
that marriage is supposed to be forever and forever can be a looooooong
time if spent with someone who has given up on the other person or
perhaps even themselves.
Yet, if a movie is going to invite us to think about those human fears
and dilemmas that force us to be frail, to be vulnerable; shouldn’t it
at the very least offer one example of a successful union?
Let’s not confuse the issue here. Or make this a commentary on the pros
and cons of marriage. Marriage and commitment are hard. People make
choices every day as to whether they will recommit anew or settle for
complacency or chuck it all together.
The title "The Last Kiss" in this movie refers to Braff’s one last
chance at spontaneity and excitement before he makes a lifelong
commitment. Why can’t there still be spontaneity and excitement in a
long term relationship? How sad for Braff’s character to think that
there is only one last kiss left and the rest of life is so predictable.
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