Taglines: Love. Sex. Surrender.
Carlo is a twenty-nine-year-old man who works in an advertisement agency and has been living with his girlfriend Giulia for three years. When she gets pregnant and he meets the stunning eighteen-year-old Francesca, his relationship with Giulia moves into a crisis, since he is not ready to reach adulthood. Francesca has a crush on Carlo and dreams of him.
His three best friends also have problems with their mates: Adriano has just had a son and has problems with taking the responsibilities of fatherhood, while his wife Livia becomes very connected to the baby, neglecting their marriage; Alberto has no ties with any woman, limiting to use them sexually; and Paolo has a passion for his former lover. Meanwhile, Giulia’s mother Anna has a middle-age crisis, jeopardizing her marriage.
The Last Kiss (Italian: L’Ultimo Bacio is a 2001 Italian comedy-drama film written and directed by Gabriele Muccino. Starring are Stefano Accorsi, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Stefania Sandrelli, Marco Cocci, Sabrina Impacciatore, Martina Stella, Regina Orioli and Daniela Piazza.
Film Review for The Last Kiss
For the hero of this bittersweet Italian comedy, love means never having to tell your pregnant girlfriend you’re secretly infatuated with an 18-year-old student. Nick Hornby readers will instantly recognise Carlo (Stefano Accorsi), a nearly-thirtysomething who gets cold feet at the prospect of impending parenthood and goes hunting for one last conquest. But familiarity does not breed contempt in a good-looking movie that takes a perceptive and often caustic look at the agonies and ecstasies of modern relationships.
At first glance, Carlo has it all: a beautiful partner, good friends, and a great career in advertising. But when Giulia (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) announces she has a bun in the oven, her feckless beau starts wondering if he’s ready to settle down. It doesn’t help that his pals are about to flee their own responsibilities by buying a camper van and running off to Africa – a proposition almost as tempting as the beautiful teenager Francesca (Martina Stella).
Carlo’s premature midlife crisis is mirrored by Giulia’s mum Anna (Stefania Sandrelli), who reacts to the news that she’s to become a grandmother by leaving her dull hubby and igniting an old flame. Only in Italy would infidelity be a remedy for marital disharmony. But it’s to writer/director Gabriele Muccino’s credit that the status quo is not restored without a convincing display of raw emotion and fiery Mediterranean temperament – Mezzogiorno proving that hell hath no fury like an expectant mother scorned.
Muccino’s prowling, restless camera and insistence on underscoring every scene with lush mood music are annoying embellishments, and he could have tied up the various plot strands with less indulgence. Still, this is an intelligent and dark-edged romantic comedy that offers a bracing antidote to Love Actually’s treacly sentiment.
The Last Kiss – L’Ultimo Bacio (2002)
Directed by: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Stefano Accorsi, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Stefania Sandrelli, Marco Cocci, Sabrina Impacciatore, Martina Stella, Regina Orioli, Daniela Piazza
Screenplay by: Gabriele Muccino
Production Design by: Eugenia F. Di Napoli
Cinematography by: Marcello Montarsi
Film Editing by: Claudio Di Mauro
Costume Design by: Nicoletta Ercole
Music by: Paolo Buonvino
MPAA Rating: R for language, sexuality and some drug use.
Distributed by: THINKFilm
Release Date: February 2, 2001 (Italy), August 16, 2002 (USA)
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