The Last Kiss

Gabriele Muccino's 2001 Italian original (VL-11/03) about four thirtysomething buddies struggling toward maturity and the women in their lives, was one of the more invigorating imports of recent years, not because of its shopworn storyline but for its exuberant and passionate style. Unfortunately, Tony Goldwyn's 2006 Hollywood remake—starring Zach Braff (Scrubs), Jacinda Barrett, and Blythe Danner—retains the narrative but loses the vitality, turning a deliciously surprising, high-spirited cinematic dance into a dreary dirge. Both lethargic and ponderously self-important, The Last Kiss not only Americanizes the story but also turns it into a tepid blend of morose relationship study and second-rate sitcom. The plot still revolves around an expecting unmarried couple, whose family and friends are drawn into an emotional maelstrom when the father-to-be—fearing that he's going to be tied down for life—takes up with a young student. In fact, everything follows the basic template of the earlier movie, but the tone couldn't be more different: the Italian film moved at a fever pitch, employing wonderfully fluid camerawork, but the remake is somber and phlegmatic, marked by dull, washed-out cinematography and energy-less direction. Not recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one with costar Zach Braff and director Tony Goldwyn; the other with Braff, Goldwyn, and costars Jacinda Barrett, Rachel Bilson, Michael Weston, and Eric Christian Olsen), a 27-minute “Getting Together” casting featurette, seven deleted scenes (14 min.), nine minutes of “Behind Our Favorite Scenes” cast and crew segments, a “Filmmaker's Perspective” (3 min.), a gag reel (3 min.), a “Last Thoughts” featurette (3 min.), the music video for the Cary Brothers “Ride” (directed by Braff), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing American remake.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—Apr. 14, 2009—DreamWorks, 103 min., R, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2006's The Last Kiss features a great transfer and a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are identical to the previous standard DVD release, including two audio commentaries (one with costar Zach Braff and director Tony Goldwyn; the other with Braff, Goldwyn, and costars Jacinda Barrett, Rachel Bilson, Michael Weston, and Eric Christian Olsen), a 27-minute “Getting Together” casting featurette, seven deleted scenes (14 min.), nine minutes of “Behind Our Favorite Scenes” cast and crew segments, a “Filmmaker's Perspective” (3 min.), a three-minute gag reel, a “Last Thoughts” featurette (3 min.), the music video for the Cary Brothers “Ride” (directed by Braff), and trailers. Bottom line: although it looks good in Blu, this is still an unnecessary American remake of a superior foreign film.]