Michael (Zach Braff, TV’s Scrubs) has the perfect life: A job he’s good at, his closest childhood friends still by his side, and Jenna (Jacinda Barrett, Poseidon), a girlfriend who’s madly in love with him. But as relationships all around him start crashing down, and the prospect of becoming a real adult—complete with a baby on the way—looms ever nearer, Michael starts having second thoughts about his seemingly perfect life. Of course, it doesn’t help matters that the young and sweet musician-student Kim (Rachel Bilson, TV’s The OC) keeps coming on to him either.
The appealing thing about The Last Kiss is that the eclectic group of characters are all flawed, imperfect or indecisive—and very real. Don’t be surprised to find yourself relating to at least one of them or noticing that they remind you of someone you might know.
Braff does a fine job of leading a cast that’s impressive all around. Bringing the right amount of humor and depth to the role, he gives probably one of the best performances of his career. We particularly enjoyed the moments when he was paired up with Casey Affleck (Ocean’s Twelve), Eric Christian Olsen (Cellular) and Michael Weston (The Dukes of Hazzard) as his childhood buddies. Their scenes together were few, but the chemistry between the four nevertheless shone through.
Tom Wilkinson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and Blythe Danner (Meet the Fockers) as Jenna’s parents are utterly compelling to watch, as is Affleck who shows with his subtle range that he’s a whole lot more than just Ben Affleck’s younger brother. Even the pretty Rachel Bilson, in her big screen debut, holds her own against the other fine actors, giving you not just a two-dimensional home-wrecker, but someone that is genuine, attractive and even vulnerable.
The ending seemed a tad too neat, but other than that, we thoroughly enjoyed this Tony Goldwyn-helmed (A Walk on the Moon) film. Featuring a great story and cast and characters that you can actually feel for, The Last Kiss is definitely one to check out if you’re looking for something that’s more than just your average romantic comedy.
