The Last Kiss Movie Review:


This lively and engaging Italian comedy-drama examines romance from several intriguing angles, getting deep under the skin with vivid characters well-performed by a talented ensemble. Carlo and Giulia (Accorsi and Mezzogiorno) are a young couple at a key point in their relationship, with big decisions to make about their future. Carlo's three best friends aren't much help: Adriano (Pasotti) is overwhelmed with the responsibilities of a 6-month-old child and a nagging wife (Impacciatore), Paolo (Santamaria) can't get over a broken relationship, and Alberto (Cocci) refuses to commit to anything. Meanwhile, Giulia's mother (Sandrelli) is having her own crisis, finally leaving what she has long felt was a dead marriage. Then Carlo meets a sexy 18-year-old (Stella) who tempts him with a way out. But is breaking up that easy to do?

The underlying message of this film is bracing and powerful, looking at the compromises and realities of relationships in a fresh and honest way. Writer-director Muccino keeps things very energetic, with fluid and complicated camera work capturing people who are bursting with personality. We feel for all of these people, although none of them is terribly sympathetic, mostly because we can't admit that we see ourselves up on the screen ... but we do! Each person's inner turmoil is vividly portrayed in the solid performances, clever direction and a script that keeps its breezy tone even while tackling serious subjects. Carlo's dilemma is clearly the film's central focus, and it's pretty gripping stuff, nicely played by the charming Accorsi. But the film as a whole is a bit too spread out among all the side stories. Each one is quite compelling, which pulls us in too many directions. And for non-Italian-speakers, the film is fairly hard going, as the characters talk incessantly; it's sparky dialog but reading all those subtitles barely lets us look at their faces! Still, there are so many wonderful scenes in this film that it's impossible to dislike ... or ignore.

Rich Cline

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