rowmorg ...especially when the star is Giovanna Mezzogiorno! She is a superb and serious acting artiste of world class, having studied with the best in Paris. She brings gravitas to any movie she graces with her presence. She was apparently breaking up with the guy who played her partner in this picture, and the whole thing was extremely passionate on and off-set. Yes, Muccino sucks, as we see clearly now that he has sold out to Hollywood (which can't destroy Italian cinema fast enough). But in the rom-com, coming-of-age genre sucking doesn't really matter, it's all in the style and dialogue, and this picture has both in spades. Is it a pile of male-chauvinist piggery? Well, how can you describe Mediterranean life without it? In fact Giovanna's fictional parents do not fit the chauvinistic mode, with the husband being the boring one who ties the wife down, and not vice-versa. We screened this picture a second time by accident, and we enjoyed watching it nonetheless. Thoroughly recommended, with a warning to feminists.

Al Rodbell Spoiler, I guess.But this is not a who-done-it, or even a will-he-do-it. It is a study of the consequences of a person's actions. The medium of movies really defines what can be depicted. It asks for action, strong emotion and the expression thereof. And of course, sex. And why not; it is built into who we are. If sex had been a drive on the level of, let's say, the need for aesthetic experience or love for music, well, we wouldn't have been here to talk about it.Humans evolved because of, and in spite of, conditions that were challenging. War, disease, famine, all that good stuff, made us what we are. That's why we eat too much, revere loyalty (to our clan) and despise our enemies.But through it all, when we were hungry, frightened and at risk of survival, we wanted to merge our genetic code with another bringing forth a continuation of the species, or get laid. Lust, horniness, all that must be controlled by civilization, must be unleashed for human survival. The conflict is everlasting and can only be shaped by culture, never eliminated.So, we love to be reminded of this need, this consummate pleasure, and watch the ideal, and to revel in the experience vicariously."The Last Kiss" manages to do something pretty rare, extol restraint. They get there by showing a night when it is foregone, but only to illustrate the contrast. They build a world that is rich in the reality of lost romance and the satisfaction of routine, mind numbing, comforting routine; the routine of friendships, affection, family and memories; and commitment to values beyond one's self.Sometimes films can transcend their medium, embed meaning into entertainment. This one does it, an achievement to be appreciated and enjoyed.

noralee "Last Kiss (L'ultimo Bacio)" is a rollicking, sped up, very Italian version of "Four Weddings and a Funeral," though here it's two weddings, a funeral, a couple of affairs and a separation. This is a very contemporary take on Northern Italian upper middle class society in modern apartments and houses and lots and lots of mobile phones. The casting is marvelous, as each character is made distinct by each actor's appearance and the character's foible and romantic situation within a large ensemble of four almost-30 friends from college, their significant others, and a set of parents and their friends.The music is coordinated briskly with the zooming editing and I'm sure if I knew Italian pop music would be commenting on each character's taste. Ironically, the characters who seem languid and peaceful at the beginning, of course by the end are running around yelling when everyone else has calmed down. The subtitles are in yellow, though still difficult to read, but barely communicate the characters' conversations; they speak at breakneck pace and can't possibly just say what's written, which was confirmed by my Italian friend (she also said that the written language is considerably cleaned-up, even with the subtitles including the occasional assh*le and f*ck -- that the insults are considerably more biologically descriptive). If Hollywood makes a version, there will be some cleaning up of the characters' actions (particularly as regards an "American Beauty"-like obsession, as the audience I was with gasped a few times at how far sympathetic characters went and then lied about it. Unusual for such a "When will you grow up?" movie, we also see the impact of impending grandparenthood. But extremely rare for an Italian movie (and for Italian society, says my friend) this showed what's good for the goose can be good for the gander.(originally written 9/2/2002)

Philip Van der Veken "L'Ultimo Bacio" is probably a movie most men will recognize themselves in all too well, because it was based on what most of us actually feel when they are finally expected to grow up when they are around thirty. They are expected to settle, to get married and to start a family. All very important decisions and we never feel very comfortable making them. Do we want to give up life as an irresponsible "bachelor", will we try to spend the rest of our lives with only one woman, are we ready to raise kids...If you expect any answers from this movie, than I'll have to disappoint you, because you won't really find any good ones. It shows how four male friends desperately try to be free. One of them meets an 18-year old schoolgirl at a wedding party, falls in love with her and betrays his pregnant fiancée, jeopardizing his entire future and family. One of the others only fights with his wife, the third one wants to escape form his dying father and the last one wants to keep living as a hippie. They all have their reasons to leave their actual lives and they start making plans to make a trip around the world, but will they leave or finally accept the real life...In a way this is a very typical Italian movie. Personally I love that, but I guess there are several people who don't. The style, the music, the acting, it all can be found in similar Italian movies and less in other European productions. So if you absolutely hate Italian movies, than you better don't even start watching it. In my opinion this isn't a movie for very young people either. I'm not saying they shouldn't watch it, but I think an 18-year old probably can't understand all too well why it's so difficult to make that important step once you're thirty, just because he or she doesn't have to think about it yet. Being almost 27 myself, I know all too well, what it means.All in all this is a very nice movie that I would recommend to most people. Despite what you might think this isn't a very corny movie and has absolutely nothing to do with how most Hollywood comedies with such a message would look like. It's wonderful, it's realistic, it's everything I need in a movie and that's why I give it an 8/10.