Crash Into Me

The Last Kiss

Lacey and I saw this the other night. We have been looking forward to it for a while now because we really like Zach Braff, having been turned onto Scrubs and loving Garden State. It's really our kind of movie, kind of a romantic comedy, but with an interesting edge to it, you know, for me. And of course it has a great soundtrack, which I've already elaborated on.

Anyway, the movie was pretty good overall. It's no Garden State, but they are two very different movies. It looked great, sounded great, had solid acting performances and funny, witty dialogue at times. My problem? The main characters (4 guys who are best friends) are pussies. I know that sounds vulgar, but it's completely true, and there is no way else to say it. Zach Braff's character is attached to a long time girlfriend who he knocks up, won't marry, and then cheats on her because he's scared of the future being all planned out. Awwww, how PATHETIC! Never mind that she's perfect. Never mind that you get her pregnant. She wants to buy a house, so you screw around. He does realize his mistake, and that's why the movie works (Tom Wilkinson, the girl's Dad, is wonderful), but I just get irritated seeing all the crap laid out by the guys in the movie. Another friend (Casey Affleck) had a baby with his wife to bring them closer, it didn't work, and now they fight all the time. He's miserable. She ends up apologizing, says they need to work harder, and what does he do? Leaves her. Oh, I'm sorry, he still wants to be the kid's father and help out. Whoop-dee-doo. He's a punk. The other two friends are a little better, I guess. One got dumped by a long time girlfriend and freaks out about it the whole movie before going to South America with the other friend who sleeps with a different girl every night, and when one of the girls wants him to meet her parents he wiggs out and decides to flee the country.

I don't want it to sound like I hated the movie. I quite liked it. There were great examples of what NOT to do, and some great quotes like (and I'm paraphrasing) "any asshole can say I love you, it's what you DO to the people that you say you love that matters". I just grow weary of punk-ass men on film. But I guess it's par for the course, and I shouldn't expect much more. Hey, at least Zach Braff's character goes through a lot after he screws up and perseveres to win her back. That's saying something, right?