大象传媒

Love is messy, that's director Tony Goldwyn's The Last Kiss in a nutshell. Still this drama is a well-crafted and heartfelt look at commitment, infidelity and the end of youth. Zach Braff (yes, the Scrubs guy) stars as 29-year-old architect Michael, torn between stability with his pregnant girlfriend Jenna (Jacinda Barrett), and adventure with college girl Kim (Rachel Bilson). True, there are some slushy moments. But this a great story, well performed. How often do they come along?

In fact, The Last Kiss is a remake of Gabriele Muccino's L'Ultimo Bacio, which stormed the Italian film scene in 2001. And really, it's an ensemble piece. While Braff struggles with commitment and fatherhood, his friends are also staring down the barrel of 30. Chris (Casey Affleck) realises his marriage is set to fail, while Izzy (Michael Weston) can't forget the ex-girlfriend who has dumped him. For the most part, though, a comic lightness of touch means we're never in Glumsville for too long.

"BECOMES EVER-MORE COMPELLING"

The screenplay, here, is adapted by Paul Haggis, the writer/director behind Crash, and it shows. These stories are artfully entwined around one another and there's even room for a brilliant supporting performance by Blythe Danner, as Jenna's fractious mother who questions her 30-year marriage to unassuming Stephen (Tom Wilkinson). Braff manages a deft trick: to be both a leading man and a likeable, ordinary guy. His dilemma - grow up with Jenna, or cling on to fading youth with Kim - becomes ever more compelling. Sure, the end is traditional, feel-good Hollywood fare. But the journey to it is entertaining and thoughtful enough to make up for that.