If you expect this film to be similar to Garden State, you will end up being very disappointed, Don't think of this movie as another Garden State; instead, think of it as Garden State's older brother who is more mature but did a lot of drugs in his youth and can therefore never generate the same level of genius as his younger sibling, MONDAY igh expectations of this film from the start. Since the theater in Prince George never showed it I had to wait several months for it to come out on DVD. This wait just intensified my craving to see it and continuously raised my expectations of the outcome. Due to my high expectations this movie left me feeling disappointed and angry at the world. My first grudge with this film is that TUESDAY 15 Snoop Dogg @ The CN Centre. All Ages Event. 21 Rankin Family @ The CN Centre. 7:00 PM. All Ages Event. it is more like a soap opera than a movie. Many characters are introduced and they are all experiencing some sort of a crisis. The movie flips between these characters continuously and does little to connect them to each other. In my opinion, I would have liked to see more Zach Braff and fewer bad soap opera ac- tors. The main character, Michael (Zach Braff), has just found out that his girl- friend, Jenna (Jacinda Barrett), is preg- nant. After discovering this news he de- cides that his life is too predictable and planned out. He decides to free himself from the predictability of his life by cheating on his girlfriend with a much younger woman named Kim (Rachel Bilson), After his girlfriend finds out about her boyfriend and his shenani- gans she decides to leave him. It is at this point-that Michael suddenly realiz- es how much he loves his girlfriend and wants to continue their predictable life together. The moral of the story is that if you are unsure of your relationship all you have to do is cheat on your partner and everything will work itself out. In between Michael and Jenna's crisis other characters are introduced with their own set of problems. One in- volves a man who is unable to commit to women and instead sees them as sex objects. Another involves a man who abandons his baby and his wife because their relationship is too much work. This movie not only makes me think less of Zach Braff but it also makes me dislike men in general. It depicts men as being cheaters, liars, and abandoners. At the same time, the women in this movie are shown as scared and unable to leave terrible relationships. If you are looking for a romantic film to watch with a loved one be sure to avoid OVER THE EDGE NEWSPAPER. this movie. It is not very romantic and it made me never want to get married or have a family. As well, avoid watching it with your parents. The sex scenes and nudity in it make it a very uncomfort- able family film... believe me. I give this movie 2 % dollars wasted on renting this movie out of 5. What the boyfriend says Forget what Kristy said, it was my 2 4 dollars that was spent renting this movie anyway. Like Kristy, a part of me was expect- ing another sort of Garden State film - a film that Zach Braff has nicely pro- vided for us in between being absolutely hilarious on Scrubs, And like Kristy, I will fully admit that The Last Kiss is not Garden State. Yet, in saying that, this film was quite good and a welcome departure from normal “romance” tripe that Holly- wood tries to force feed us. Julia Roberts’ fans need to get the hell away from this movie. The Last Kiss is raw and real, a story of real-life romance. What makes this film better than others is that the film is not a traditional home entertainment approach to love. Normally, if there's a movie about love you have two people meeting, starting to like each other, some crisis pulling them apart, typically some misunderstand- ing, and then finally a dramatic speech which brings them back together again. There, I think I just spoiled Runaway Bride, Pretty Woman, Sleepless in Se- attle and the Bridget Jones’ series. The Last Kiss is not like those movies; this movie is the ever after’ of everyone’ fa- vourite fairy tales. Michael (Zach Braff) and Jenna (Jacinda Barrett) have already gone through the motions. They may not be married, but they've already ex- JANUARY 10, 2007 perienced the chase and perhaps, as this is Hollywood, the crisis’ which may have almost pulled them apart. But that's not this story, This is a tale of adapting to domestic life. This is a common fear, I'm sure, for many men and women alike. If anyone ever wonders what happens to Snow White and her Prince once the curtain comes down, this movie is more or less what that situation would be like. Sure, everyone thinks the Prince is so great, but could he, being a power- ful and free man, learn to share his life with Snow White? Could he ever be cer- tain enough about her that he could be happy? That is the central idea which is explored in this movie. The characters of Michael and his friends are definitely not perfect. They make mistakes, and find themselves in undesirable situations. What we're watching here is the journey everyone takes to figure out their own lives. Mi- chael, the primary protagonist here, is having familiar anxiety. The question which looms over the entire produc- tion is: When is someone able to leave behind their bachelor life? It sometimes takes struggle and self-discovery, I enjoyed this movie for its dark and fresh portrayal of romantic life. A rela- tionship takes a lot more than dramatic speeches. It requires sweat, toil, and occasional violence and partial nudity (well, full nudity). This movie is a story that takes place in the real world. In this world, men make horrible mistakes and women are not just ditzy show pieces like in other romance films. This is a fas- cinating journey film of mens evolution through their lives. I give this movie 4 % mid-life crises out of 5, Upcoming events in Prince George WEDNESDAY 10 Nunsense 2, January 9-20 _at the PG Play- house 7 Into Eternity @ The Generator. 19+ Event. 24 The Green Party presents: A discussion on Climate Change, Energy and a Green Future 7pm, free, in the Canfor New Over The Edge, with a new calender comes out! THURSDAY SATURDAY 12 Tragically Hip @ The CN Centre. 7:30 PM. All Ages Event.