“Life is boring”. Many people say that to many others, who in turn join hands with them to dissect and analyze how boring it is. For Michael (Zach Braff), relationship with Jenna (Jacinda Barrett) for three years makes him feel boring. Everything is scheduled and it is just that there is no calendar set for his life; otherwise he could plan for the planned too. And adding to these are the responsibilities and pressure wherein Jenna is pregnant with his baby. He feels robotic. I am not a relationship expert or for that matter of fact, I have never been in a relationship. But nothing can be so clear and open on how wrong Michael is when he is ready to party with another college girl Kim (Rachel Bison).Back in India, when I was still in my grade school I remember taking my newly wed cousin sister and her husband to a tamil movie. In that movie a couple separated misses in various instances close enough to seeing them each other. And I can still remember how attached my cousin sister and her husband that they started talking to the screen advising both the people on the screen to look at each other. That was a lousy movie and I was totally blown back by their reaction. But out here when Michael takes every step possibly wrong, we want to stop him and say, “Come on Man! Are you crazy?” I felt frightened whether they are going to give crash course on how relationships get ruined.
The institute of marriage is always considered the final entrance to burn everyone’s desire. I can see my friend Mathi chuckling on the previous sentence because the fear is within me and for that matter every one else. Looking on a various aspect, it is a submission for compromising. It is a pain to give up and consider another individual for anything and everything. Basically space is lost. But these are all tangential and definitely not a factor for Michael. He is already living with a woman and marriage is going to be just a procedural event. Yet close enough to becoming thirty, it scares him. He is afraid to grow up and recognizes the other attachments coming along with it. Accepted that age is not a happy phenomenon, but it is a fact and one has to accept it. Live along with it and look at the other side of the mirror to realize that it is more than that. He does the unthinkable and makes not alone Jenna mad but the viewers too. And he continuously and without any further hesitation keeps on doing it even after the worst possible thing. In fact the viewers might get terribly upset with his actions than Jenna. It hurts when you realize the mistake. It even more hurts because it was within your conscience to not do it and still ignore it. That is more painful. Jenna deals with a different pain of herself. She is the most understanding personality and the viewers feel the trust being shattered into pieces. We do not want to forgive Michael. But what is the end for it? Is there a time limit to punish them like the law does? Sadly emotions are not visible to law but time does a strange thing to it. There cannot be a rule book written for it and it all depends on the individual.
And when two people are hard enough to shatter into pieces, there seems to broken pieces around Michael and Jenna too. Chris (Casey Affleck) knows it is over with his wife but the idea of his kid’s life being hard is haunting him. Jenna’s parents have their long termed problem which gets its attention in another devastating way. The other two friends of Michael, Izzy (Michael Weston) is not able to get out of his previous relationship while Kenny (Eric Christian Olsen) believes it is time to see the outer world. All seems to be very cinematic on text but the intertwined interesting screenplay makes it a merry ride.
There are tough lessons and hard reality out of this movie. I cannot be amazed to think how scheduled life is for most of us when you think of Michael. It is no way justifiable for his actions but he seems to be questioning the eventualities in his life. And he is confused in getting the answer. Why to Marry and buy a home? Is it a pattern? If those do not happen, what is it? Yes, the questions are right but it is wrong time. He wanted something earlier in life which he is scared to take it in right now. He seems to learn it the worst and despicable way possible.
With the very little time over the screen, there is no way to take sides. And it is quite unintended artistic nature of the movie to say those, “There is no way to take sides”. And it is no use to analyze it either. It comes from both the individuals to take it further or not. It might come a lot from one of the individual because they want it more. And the opposite person is so covered with anger and frustration to think those through. Effort takes from both the individuals at the end. And some times, it is the time to see the truth and accept it. There should be an agreement in the disagreement. The film puts those through various characters involving all the emotions.
The film might be termed as ending in a melodramatic manner. It might be even slashed for having some moments of artificiality. It is not. I do not know how the original Italian movie “L'ultimo bacio” directed by Gabriele Muccino was but this film is convincing and emotional. It seems to fall in terms of emotionally satisfying and leaves with conviction but it does very reasonably. Director Tony Foldwyn portrays it as something very real and can well apply to every day sights. I can see any one talking to their loved ones over the door asking to try a bit more or may be telling it is all over. Asking to forgive the worst possible actions and also to try a little bit harder to work things out or to get the hell out of the door. And may be asking to forget their “Last Kiss” with some one else.
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