POISON SCOOTER

The Last Kiss

I have been searching for the reason that I didn't enjoy The Last Kiss, the new Zach Braff movie that hit theaters yesterday. Considering that I'm a devotee to both Garden State and Scrubs, I should enjoy seeing Braff do what it is he does. And in this remake of an Italian film from a couple of years ago, Braff does indeed do his nebbish, geek with charm thing. And does it well.

So it's not Zach's fault I left this film feeling oddly uninspired. In post film discussions I came to two conclusions that are perhaps at play with me. One, the movie is about adultery which is a topic I don't like. I don't like cheaters, I don't like being cheated on and I don't care for people who allow themselves to be victimized, i.e. take the cheater back. Adding to this, is that peripheral story is about being lost on the cusp of 30 and with me being past that milestone, I guess I just couldn't relate. And that made me feel shitty and old.

Maybe I set the bar too high going in to see the film, expecting Garden State 2: Electric Bugaloo with a fierce new soundtrack I can come to admire and worship. Yeah, Zach lent his expertise to the soundtrack for this film, but Tony Goldwyn doesn't have the same flare that Zach did as a director to make music a supporting character. Instead we have the typical 3 or 4 musical interludes and that's about it. In fact, the lack of a score and the sparse use of songs created tons of silence that drove me kind of nuts.

Maybe I thought it would be funnier? For the first 30 minutes Zach basically played his character on Scrubs, JD to the hilt. Funny interplay between Zach and Jacinda Barrett quickly helped you to toss aside the fact that Zach has basically no chin and a huge nose and Jacinda is a goddess creating a very mismatched couple, and that's all because Zach is so fucking charismatic. But eventually the movie makes a shift into fear and loathing of unwanted pregnancy, unfaithful mis-steps and a general depressing mood fills the screen sucking all the fun out of most of the characters.

Perhaps I wanted a character I could relate to, or at least like. Nope. The four childhood friends creating the epicenter of this picture are all cliched portraits of essential one man known on the streets as Mr. Dick. There's the lothario who is afraid of commitment, the stalker ex-boyfriend who can't shake his feelings for his ex, the newlywed father who wants to bail on his new family and the Zach character, a guy who has the perfect life and wants to sabotage it for a piece of college ass. The only guy character who wasn't a jack ass was Barrett's father played by Tom Wilkinson who instead was a push over who stayed in an unhappy and loveless marriage for 30 years, driving his wife to have an affair on him and threaten to leave him. Thanks.

I guess I shouldn't be too hard on this film, as far as what's out there these days this is better than your Kate Hudson date movie crap but not as memorable as Beautiful Girls, the movie I had hoped it could be a nice companion piece to. Just very average.

posted by Scooter @ 1:24 PM