The Last Kiss

I’m a big Paul Haggis fan. Million Dollar Baby. Crash. the Black Donnelleys. Obviously, I had to rent The Last Kiss.Even though a friend dubbed it a chick flick, it’s not really one of those. It doesn’t follow that same romantic comedy story formula and the plot wasn’t predictable at all. In the end, I believe none of the characters fully redeemed themselves.I enjoy character-driven story arcs (Buffy, Firefly, Carnivale), so it was easy to enjoy and I did very much. The film centers on relationships, their fragility, difficulty, etc. The actors stumble w/ the main problems of most dissolving relationships: trust and communication. You can have one or the other, but to build a solid bond, you gotta have both. The film examines the step from engagement to marriage (lead characters), just married and parenting an infant and, lastly, surviving a thirty year marriage. Many people focus on the happy in a relationship. Chemistry, good sex, common interests and goals, status, etc. That’s fine and dandy, though some mistake marriage as a continuation of that relationship. I agree w/ the film that it’s not that simple. It’s less sexy, less flowers, less chocolates, compromises, understanding, and most importantly requires lots of trust and communication. Two do become one in the ultimate union of ’em all. Heh heh.Another theme of the film is the various crisis of life’s journey, hitting those age milestones and “how far along you are or where you should be in the grand scheme.” I guess we all put markers in all chapters of our lifetime, especially the first two decades.I wonder too when my day will come. I’m still young, relishing life in my early thirties, but I do yearn for more. Wife, kids, the whole white-picket fences. I do sometimes envy my friends’ babies; even all the stories of handling poo and being barfed on =) When the day comes, it will.And all this comes from a man whose longest relationships have been a matter of months. Meaning: read this w/ a grain of salt or however that goes.