Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

The Last Kiss Blu-ray Movie Review

A somber look at the pitfalls of companionship trudges onto Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 11, 2009

Everyone around us is falling apart.

The Last Kiss is a not-so-special movie about crumbling relationships, fear of commitment, the hostilities and volatilities amongst couples, and generally morbid and other assorted doleful subjects that make for a downer of a movie with little in the way of redeeming values. The Last Kiss is hard to watch, not only because of its depressing tone but because of its lack of real meaning. Throughout the film one waits and waits for a point that never comes. The movie hints at the importance of forgiveness and repentance in a relationship, but ultimately seems to espouse that there is no answer, that each individual and each situation bears different burdens and personalities and therefore each must discover unique resolutions for whatever problem may arise. It seems that the point of the movie is that there is no point, perhaps in its own way trying to mirror what it perceives as the reality of human interaction and emotions that go deeper than the superficial pleasures of the here and now.

Zach Braff or Dax Shepard? you decide.

The Last Kiss is a film about commitment, or lack thereof. Each couple in the film experiences the ups and downs (and mostly the downs) of relationships at various stages. One man, Izzy (Michael Weston), finds himself in a never-ending search for meaning and companionship, despite witnessing the despair of his committed friends throughout the film. Another, Kenny (Eric Christian Olsen), enjoys the company of a young woman but flees once she shows signs of wanting more than a physical relationship. Yet another, Chris (Casey Affleck, Gone Baby Gone), struggles with a losing marriage that is further complicated by the presence of an infant. The two primary relationships the film deals with regard infidelity at two distinct stages of life. One couple, Anna and Stephen (Blythe Danner, Meet the Parents, and Tom Wilksinson, Michael Clayton, respectively) is rapidly approaching their golden years and find themselves on the brink of irrelevancy with one another, while their unmarried and pregnant daughter, Jenna (Jacinda Barrett), wants to deepen her relationship with her boyfriend, Michael (Zach Braff, Garden State), who fears commitment and finds himself tempted by a younger girl, Kim (Rachel Bilson, Jumper), who represents the freedom and carefree life he fears losing in a committed relationship. Rage, jealousy, confusion, remorse, and lust are the themes that identify the characters and their struggles, with each one experiencing the entire spectrum of emotions.

The problem with The Last Kiss isn't necessarily its depressing tone and candid look at relationships that plays counter to the plethora of happy-go-lucky Romantic Comedies. Instead, the film is populated by thinly-developed characters that leave the audience indifferent to their plights that involve a multitude of crises. To the film's credit, it tackles a niche rarely seen in cinema, that of the bleaker side of reality where life isn't always bright and cheerful. However, instead of showing a storm, The Last Kiss depicts life as a category five hurricane with no end in sight. It's nothing but a nonstop barrage of downers that may leave even the most stoic of viewers disoriented by the film's unforgiving tone. The Last Kiss rewards viewers with little more than a depressing and perhaps even morbid stance on life and love. Combined with sluggish pacing and unlikable characters, it's more trouble than it's worth.

The Last Kiss Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Last Kiss arrives on Blu-ray with a decent 1080p transfer framed at 2.35:1. This is a fairly standard-looking high definition transfer, offering nothing too special but never appearing noticeably bad. The image is fairly dark and slightly soft in appearance as the film opens. Colors aren't bold; rather they seem a tad underwhelming, and fine detail is hard to come by. Bright outdoor shots fare better, and the movie becomes livelier, visually, as it progresses. The outdoor wedding scene in chapter two or various scenes of a college campus showcase above-average detail, sharp imagery in both the foreground and background, and solid amounts of detail in clothing and greenery. Flesh tones vary throughout, from ghastly to red and everything in between. Grain is visible during the presentation, particularly over brighter backgrounds, and the print exhibits a few speckles here and there. Blacks look solid. The Last Kiss makes for a transfer that is acceptably mundane.

The Last Kiss Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This Blu-ray release of The Last Kiss features a bland Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The majority of the track is incredibly subdued, often reflecting the somber, confused tone of the movie and the characters that populate it. Dialogue, the lifeblood of the film and primary sonic activity, is often just a bit low in volume but never otherwise distorted in presentation. The track recreates minor ambience across the front soundstage nicely in several scenes, the chirping of birds or the blowing of wind playing as particularly natural. The rear channels carry virtually nothing in the way of environmental atmospherics or discrete sound effects. Several scenes feature a good bit of authoritative thumping in the form of Hip-Hop music at a college party, bringing a bit of life to an otherwise dull soundtrack. Generally, this one offers little to become excited about.

The Last Kiss Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Last Kiss comes to Blu-ray with plenty of extras, headlined by a pair of commentary tracks. The first features Actor Zach Braff and Director Tony Goldwyn. The track takes on a jovial tone that offers up just as many nonsensical anecdotes as tried-and-true comments on the process of making the film and its themes. Fans should enjoy this one. The second track once again contains Braff and Goldwyn, this time accompanied by Actors Jacinda Barrett, Rachel Bilson, Michael Weston, and Eric Christian Olsen. This track, too, is marked by plenty of offbeat comments and humor. The participants giggle and speak over one another throughout. Four featurettes are next. 'The Last Kiss' -- Filmmakers' Perspective (480p, 2:33) briefly features several interview clips with Producer Gary Lucchesi and Director Tony Goldwyn. 'The Last Kiss' -- Getting Together (480p, 26:44) examines the process of bringing this remake of the Italian film L'Ultimo Baccio to American screens as told through interview clips with cast and crew. 'The Last Kiss' -- Behind Our favorite Scenes (480p, 8:27) looks at the making of several scenes. 'The Last Kiss' -- Last Thoughts (480p, 3:29) features interview cuts discussing how The Last Kiss offers audiences the sort of movie they want to see. Concluding the special features is a music video by the Cary Brothers entitled Ride (480p, 3:25) with an introduction from Zach Braff, five deleted and extended scenes with two alternate endings (480p, 14:07), a gag reel (480p, 2:44), and the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:34).

The Last Kiss Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Last Kiss meanders through a depressing minefield of marital and relationship problems with no real point. No character escapes unscathed; some flee, some trudge on, but with each step comes another chance of self-destruction that will likely wipe out everyone that is along for the ride. The problem is that the characters offer no real reason to care whether or not they successfully maneuver the minefield. In fact, the film only seems to try and pack in as many emotional explosions as possible, and that becomes too tiresome a proposition. The Last Kiss is a film likely to speak to viewers on various levels, including acceptance, understanding, nonchalance, or disgust of the themes, the film's impact seemingly tied to one's outlook on the problems the film presents ad nauseam. DreamWork's Blu-ray release of The Last Kiss is terribly average. The picture quality wavers between sharp and bright to dull and soft. The lossless audio soundtrack is front-heavy and bland, and the supplements are par for the course. Moviegoers in search of a film that plays as the polar opposite of the plethora of Romantic Comedies may find some appeal here, and would do well to give this one a rental.