The Last Kiss
I do admit this film does a good job drawing you in to its simplistic plot- I watched most of this movie almost like it was science fiction (you will see why I categorize The Last Kiss as sci-fi in just a moment. Read on) Then towards the end of the movie, I got extremely bored and started wondering why I had begun watching in the first place. I began to hate myself for watching.
However, I do have a bit of a Eureka moment when it comes to The Last Kiss. With The Last Kiss, I have one of the most picture perfect candidates for my patented "Movies with Nothing to Say" category.
The movie is about Michael, a butt-ugly not to mention irritating guy, (played by Garden State "legend" Zach Braff) who is about to turn 30 and is having a bit of a nervous breakdown. Michael is engaged to his pretty decent looking girlfriend (Jacinda Barrett, ex-Real World alumni turned Hollywood actress) and is worried that marriage and a baby is essentially the end of his life. The movie centers around how this gorgeous and friendly college sophmore Kim (played by Rachel Bilson) falls madly for Michael and tries to get him to have sex with her.
People, seriously The Last Kiss makes zero sense. You see, I don't discriminate against unattractive men. Traditional values of what identifies "good looking" are clearly open to interpretation. With many men it is easy to find attractive qualities even when the exterior speaks otherwise. The problem with The Last Kiss is simply that not only is the character played by Zach Braff ugly, but he is also irritating and whiny. He shows little to no charisma. There is little to like. Yet somehow Kim becomes so madly sexually attracted to Michael, she throws all caution to the wind. I was so distracted through most of the film hoping they would shoot Zach Braff from another angle that might help him to look a little better. Its like Zach Braff just showed up for his paycheck saying "yes I am one of the sexiest guys around, I was in Garden State- one of the classic romance movies of our generation." What? Moi? Try to convey that this character has some personality?" Common Braff, you can try to show this character has some personality of any kind.
There is nothing special about The Last Kiss. It is not original. And to make matters worse, this cliched whiny concept is not even iself original. The movie is a remake of the 2001 Italian film, "L 'Ultimo Bacio" which I have not seen but have heard is quite good. I am a fan of Italian cinema, and this country tends to make films with great cinematography and great acting (both qualities lacking in The Last Kiss)
Upon reflection, I will go out on a limb here and say, the Europeans can get by with a movie like The Last Kiss with flying colors. They can make this type of movie where a 30-something dude evaluates his life and panics over an impending marriage and baby. In Europe this topic is interesting, and has depth, gusto and class.
You see in Hollywood take the concept, the cliches and moronically add a dash of Zach Braff-ness and you have an embarrassment. And one grizzly ass profile.
Grading
Story: C-
Acting: C-
Visuals: C
Originality/Innovation: F
Enjoyability: C-
Overall: C-
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