Have you guys heard the opening theme for Weeds? The song is called Little Boxes, by Malvina Reynolds, I love it, it's about how people are so squared and lacking in diversity nowadays. People grow up, get a higher education, family, and all end up looking just the same. In The Last Kiss, Zach Braff's character is faced with the prospect of becoming one more example of what Reynolds sings about, of not having any more surprises in his life. Sameness scares him, he might become just like any other guy and live a dull life.
You may think that Zach's character is not at all actually concerned with looking and living like every other guy, that he is just concerned that he'll have to finally grow up and won't get to have (immature) fun anymore.
But I bought his desperation at the prospect of "no more surprises," his fear that everything will be super planned from now on.
His life has been perfect. He has a good career as an architect. The girlfriend is pretty, smart, and nice, with loving parents (played well by Tom Wilkinson and Blythe Danner), and she is pregnant.
Zach meets this cute little girl in a wedding party, he is about to turn 30 -- he starts to wonder whether that is it for him, whether his life is over and from then on all he would have is dullness. Should he give in to temptation and fool around? Will that take him anywhere?
A date movie cannot get better than this. I disagree with the few lukewarm reviews it got.
The Last Kiss is a little on the somber side in that it is highly doubtful of happiness and the potential success of relationships. Most of Zach's friends are also in bad shape one way or another, and the little development their characters get are meant, I guess, to show that Zach is not alone in his doubts and disenchantment with his future.
The acting was very solid across the board, and the two main girls in the movie stole the show, they were awesome. One was Zach's girlfriend, played by Jacinda Barrett, and the other one was Zach's girl-toy, played by The O.C.'s Rachel Bilson. They both rocked.
And we had gay content. In the first scene with gay content, we have two hot lesbians going at it, for the amusement of guys though...not ideal, to say the least, but I'll take it, it was positive.
Then, Casey Affleck sees Michael Weston's former girlfriend dancing with a guy (Casey and Michael are two of Zach's best friends). Michael gets all jealous and Casey tries to calm him by saying that the guy the girl is dancing with is gay. That he looks too good to be straight.
And there's a little more. We see that Zach Braff's neighbors are gay. Yay. Their being gay is not really spelled out, but they kinda behaved like a couple, a regular, common couple hanging out on their front porch a few times, and one of the gays even sort of helps Zach with a certain issue. Go us!
The soundtrack? Yummie.
What can I say, I love the stuff Zach is involved with, Garden State was one of the best movies of 2004 (certainly the most overlooked movie of that year), and Scrubs is still pretty funny. Oh, and remember one of his breakthrough roles was in The Broken Hearts Club, where he played a gay guy (that movie was pretty bad though).
Kudos for Paul Haggins, the writer (yeah, the guy was behind Crash, Million Dollar Baby, Casino Royale...)
Go see The Last Kiss in theaters.
... Don't be, Marcus! No need... :-)
Posted by: RIC | Sep 22, 2006 at 07:20 AM
Ops.
Yes, my sources...
Sorry
;-)
Posted by: Marcus | Sep 21, 2006 at 07:17 PM
... I believe, Marcus, you mean «my sources», don't you?... :-)
All's swell in SP? Hope so!
Posted by: RIC | Sep 21, 2006 at 10:49 AM
Thanks Augusto...
I thought about "Curiosity", but I didnt know if was right...
U r welcome Dan, I have my fonts... LOL
Posted by: Marcus | Sep 20, 2006 at 11:24 PM
Marcus! I haven't seen that fact anywhere else. Thanks for the insight.
Posted by: Dan | Sep 20, 2006 at 12:15 AM
Hey guys. Marcus, I guess you could say "trivia" or even "curiosity" ;-)
Posted by: Queer Beacon | Sep 19, 2006 at 07:01 PM
Wow! You do know what you write about, Marcus! I like that very much! Thank you!
As for «The Last Kiss», I'll be attentive. :-)
Posted by: RIC | Sep 19, 2006 at 05:33 PM
Wow, I luv Paul Haggins!
An "Curiosidade" about him (Augusto, how to say "curiosidade" in English?)
On March 5, 2006, Paul became the first person in the history of the Academy Awards to write two back-to-back Best Picture Winners, for Crash and the previous year's winner, Million Dollar Baby.
:-)
Posted by: Marcus | Sep 19, 2006 at 04:58 PM