Unlike your typical summer blockbuster, “The Last Kiss” is a serious drama. It’s not a fluffy comedy nor is it a murder mystery. It provides a stark dose of reality some will not enjoy. If you love “Garden State,” you will love “The Last Kiss.”
“The Last Kiss” follows Michael and his group of friends as they discover any age is capable of having a midlife crisis. Michael is forced to grow up when he and his girlfriend Jenna have dinner at her parents’ house not to break news of engagement, but to tell her parents that she is pregnant. Yet, to the parent’s dismay, the couple is not getting married, mostly due to Michael’s fear of commitment.
On top of this, her parents are having their own problems threatening to end their thirty-five year marriage. Chris and Lisa thought having a baby would bring them closer together and fix their marriage, but it is actually tearing them apart.
Although Michael loves Jenna dearly, he fears that there will be no surprises left in his life. Everything has turned out exactly how he has planned and he wants to live one last time before he takes the plunge into family life, wondering if at 29, he’s old enough to grow up. Micheal meets a college student at a friend’s wedding and debates leaving his pregnant girlfriend.
Zach Braff is lovable in this drama, but plays a character similar to the one he played in “Garden State,” which is also about a young man trying to make sense of his life. The supporting cast compliments Braff well, and shines in this film. Casey Affleck, as Chris, perfects the look of self-loathing as he contemplates leaving his wife. Kim, played by Rachel Bilson, makes it easy to understand why Micheal (Braff) would want to leave everything to be with her. However, Izzy and Kenny, played by Michael Watson and Eric Christian Olsen, are scene-stealers with their funny lines and compromising situations.
Bring your tissues because “The Last Kiss” is a tear jerker that will have you contemplating your own life choices and wondering what will happen next.
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