The Last Kiss is based on an Italian film from 2001, and while I didn't see the original, I found this Americanized version incredibly observant and, at times, extremely uncomfortable to sit through.

The Last Kiss weaves it's tale of relationships in very much the same way Crash spun it's tale of race just last year (not surprising given Paul Haggis wrote both screenplays). The focal point of The Last Kiss is a budding three year romance between Michael (Zach Braff) and his lovable pregnant girlfriend Jenna (Jacinda Barrett). Michael seemingly has it all while his closest friends all appear to have stumbled in their relationships. Izzy (Michael Weston) struggles with the recent disintegration of his apparent match made in Heaven while good friend Chris (Casey Affleck) is tiring of his broken down marriage. Even player pal Kenny (Eric Christian Olsen), who chooses to remain unattached, has issues. Once a lady takes him home to meet the parents, he's out the door. Through it all, Michael appears to have his shit together. Or so it would seem. One afternoon during a wedding of all things, Michael comes face to face with temptation in the form of the cute Kim (The O.C.'s Rachel Bilson). Even though the near thirty year old Michael appears happy with his pending fatherhood, he finds himself drawn to this young, vibrant second year college student.

The Last Kiss is funny, but it's also cold, casually cruel and unapologetic, while maintaining a certain level of realism and honesty. This isn't a movie full of your typical, conventionally likable characters, nor is it necessarily about bad people. It's about real, complex young adults dealing with really complex problems.

The insightful screenplay by Paul Haggis doesn't take the easy way out, and the ambiguous ending (one that I liken to the ending of the brilliant Sideways) will, no doubt, aggravate some viewers. I admire that a resolution isn't simply handed to us on a silver platter. To have a definitive ending would have been far less satisfying.

The performances are absolutely stellar. Zach Braff is a big surprise here. This is a big departure from his Scrubs character, and he shows real depth as Michael, even more so than he did as Andrew Largeman in his impressive directorial debut Garden State. His trademark sense of humor is on display, but his dramatic moments much more true this time. It's still tough to get past the Ray Romano resemblance, but as an actor, he's matured a great deal in the past couple of years. Clearly, this was no easy role to pull off, as Braff is playing a good man who falters in a way that many might find unforgivable. Tom Wilkinson and Blythe Danner soar as Jenna's troubled parents. These two veteran actors are just spectacular here, and they're both worthy of Oscar nominations.

The entire cast is just outstanding. Rachel Bilson is cute and bubbly as Kim, while Jacinda Barrett provides emotional bravado as Michael's loving girlfriend Jenna. Casey Affleck, Michael Weston, and Eric Christian Olsen all turn in winning, diverse performances as Michael's long-time buddies.

Director Tony Goldwyn (an actor by trade – you may remember him as two-faced Carl in Ghost) shows a true knack for bringing out the best in his actors. He really works wonders with this amazing cast. This is an adult movie to be sure, but it doesn't slip into the sitcom conventions of, say Failure to Launch. It also manages to stray away from the occasional cuteness of the similarly themed The Break Up.

The Last Kiss isn't a perfect film. Unfortunately, the Michael, Jenna, and Kim scenario is the only plot thread that truly gets pulled all the way through and gets the depth it deserves. Wilkinson and Danner's relationship is explored, but not to the same degree. And while I really enjoyed the work by Affleck, Weston, and Christian, they don't undergo any kind of real character arcs. This was particularly disheartening where Affleck's Chris is concerned, because in the early goings of the film, there's a sense that maybe we'll see a more complete development. Alas, his scenario is more or less sidelined. There is a moment in the final act of the movie when Chris returns to his home after taking a road trip with his buddies, but the reveal he makes to his wife doesn't really feel like a reveal at all, because he makes the same observations during a heated argument in the first act of the picture. Affleck is really effective here, and it would have been nice to see his character fleshed out in a three dimensional way.

Having said all this, The Last Kiss is still a great movie fueled by outstanding performances (and a stellar soundtrack). Even when certain characters were doing questionable things, it all made sense. Sometimes, good people do stupid things for reasons they can't explain. The Last Kiss probes such behavior with complexity and unflinching honesty. This is a strong film.