Matt MoodyThe Last Kiss - 1 Clock
November 15th 2006 00:47
If Paul Haggis hit a homerun with Million Dollar Baby and Crash, and I think we can all agree that he did, than The Last Kiss, his latest cinematic accomplishment, is quickly rounding second and being waved into third. His secret, it would appear, is that he captivates his audience not with the story he tells but with the characters he creates to tell it. And it is through these characters that Mr. Haggis offers his audience a glimpse into human nature.
This time it is man’s resistance to adulthood. A resistance that Haggis shows us does not die simply with age but only with the realization that you cannot run away or backwards. All you can do is put one foot in front of the other and move forward with the hope that the mistakes of your past are not so terrible that they ruin your dreams for the future.
It is a modern Peter Pan story, proving once again that there is nothing like the threat of responsibility to send a man running scared toward Neverland. The modernization, of course, is Haggis’s decision to substitute a childlike fantasyland with a sexy college coed played by Rachel Bilson. And like Peter, the protagonist of this story, played by Zach Braff, cannot help but find comfort in a fantasy that he knows is just that.
The movie’s other characters are also tempted by the prospect of escaping their own realities, and it is through each one’s journey that the audience is able to recognize a personal struggle of their own. This may make some moviegoers a bit uncomfortable, but it is what I find most appealing about Haggis’ films.
This time it is man’s resistance to adulthood. A resistance that Haggis shows us does not die simply with age but only with the realization that you cannot run away or backwards. All you can do is put one foot in front of the other and move forward with the hope that the mistakes of your past are not so terrible that they ruin your dreams for the future.
It is a modern Peter Pan story, proving once again that there is nothing like the threat of responsibility to send a man running scared toward Neverland. The modernization, of course, is Haggis’s decision to substitute a childlike fantasyland with a sexy college coed played by Rachel Bilson. And like Peter, the protagonist of this story, played by Zach Braff, cannot help but find comfort in a fantasy that he knows is just that.
The movie’s other characters are also tempted by the prospect of escaping their own realities, and it is through each one’s journey that the audience is able to recognize a personal struggle of their own. This may make some moviegoers a bit uncomfortable, but it is what I find most appealing about Haggis’ films.
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