The Last Kiss

An adaptation by Paul (‘Crash’) Haggis indicates some ambition in this remake of Gabriele Muncio’s 2001 Italian export, but the result hovers between the fluffy fare apt to leading man Zach Braff and the more weighty material within the remit of the supporting cast (uneasily married parents Tom Wilkinson and Blythe Danner). On the verge of The Big Three-O, Braff’s knuckled down to work as an architect, but when longtime girlfriend Jacinda Barrett announces her pregnancy, he fears the shutters are going down forever on his carefree youth – hence his underhand moves on nubile student Rachel Bilson. The ever-amiable Braff’s limited range actually works for the character in this portrait of masculine denial, leaving the real acting chops to explosive Barrett as the wronged partner. Haggis’s overwrought dialogue fills the hissy fits with sundry aphorisms, but the cushioned yuppy milieu somehow takes the edge out of the drama. Relatively compelling at the time, it’s just a bit too glib to resonate for much longer afterwards.