Renzo Gilardoni I watched and loved this movie the first time I saw it, but I watched it again not long ago that I turned 30 years old and the first thing it comes to my mind is: WHY, WHY are men and women SUPPOSED or EXPECTED to "grow up" when they turn 30??. WHY they are SUPPOSED or EXPECTED to raise kids when they turn 30?? Just WHY??.The main story of the plot which revolves around Carlo (Stefano Accorsi) and Gulia (Giovanna Mezzogiorno), who have been together for 3 years, until she gets pregnant and Carlo's inner feelings and inner self are shaking because he is so unsure of himself and what he really wants. Does he want to settle down and live like a "grown up"?? Or does he want to feel free and escape from this seeming prison cell that he thinks his life will turn out to be?? His female partner of course has no doubts about what her desires are and what she wants for herself and for THEM, but her partner always seems to be just reacting, almost sitting by while she plans all their future together. Although I think that this portrayal of Carlo is totally coherent with his childish and weak demeanor, this also illustrates how unbalanced the relationship between Carlo and Gulia really was.Anyway, when Carlo meets Francesca (Martina Stella), a stunning, gorgeous high school girl who clearly is attracted to him, his existential and inner doubts starts to come to surface to the point that he is unable to cope with them, until he just let himself go and succumbs to the almost irresistible temptation, taking to heart Oscar Wilde's well-known saying "The best way to get rid of a temptation is to fall in it", remember??. Of course he fails to address the whole issue that passion has gone with Gulia before cheating on her, but as a man I can understand why. But the whole sequence of the cheating, starting from the teenager party, going through the big fight, and then ending up in his love making with Francesca, clearly shows that Carlo was absolutely disturbed and had no clue about what he really wanted. I mean, he first cheated with "just a kiss", restrained himself from sleeping with Francesca so that he could continue to play out his charade with Giulia, but fails to do so because the charade was just so poorly elaborate and after she discovers the whole charade and forces him to recognize the cheating and kicks him out of anger, he finds nothing better to do than bounce back and goes to sleep with his object of desire. But then after their love making he suddenly realizes that he is out of place at her side and decides to bounce back (again) and try to fix things up with Giulia, not realizing that he was totally using Francesca almost as sex toy to give him pleasure, failing to treat her as a human being regardless that she was a teenager. I'm not trying to redeem Francesca, she was clearly trying to bust Carlo's relationship, but Carlo always told her only half truths and in her innocence and naiveté she seemed to truly believe they could be together. She was being authentic to her teenager nature, but Carlo should have known better before sleeping with her.And then, after he screwed it all up, he tries by all means to get rid of Francesca, she was no longer useful to him, and decides to make an all-out attempt to win back Giulia, finally dumping Francesca in a painful scene. Painful because Francesca was not mature and experienced enough to know the sour realities of life, like that you can't expect to build a relationship just out of physical attraction, and she was trying desperately to win Carlo for her in any way. I think that the gesture of the gift was well meaning on her part, but her last emotional outburst was a little bit too much. I wonder if Italian teenagers do actually behave like that. I believe that she should have kept some restraint and dignity after Carlo dumped her. She acted with no pride, and it's such a pity to see a beautiful teenager acting like that, she could have had any man she wanted, anyone better than Carlo, but she was so obsessed with him that it seems she could not see this. All the finale, Carlo's getting rid of Francesca, and the subsequent reconciliation with Giulia, seems to me just a little too much convenient. I believe he never really faced the fundamental existential issue that was right in front of him, and instead chose to yield and take the easy way out, just like when he cheated on Giulia. He was far too weak to try to take the hard way and truly learn a stern lesson, which could have been to go on with his life by himself and discover what he really wanted, maybe trying a relationship with Francesca even if it was only to realize that it would not work, or maybe just staying single and arrange a judicial agreement to see his future daughter. But it seemed that somewhat he was trying to convince himself that what he was doing what was right, not because he truly believed in it, but because it was socially EXPECTED. In that way he was only deceiving himself. The reconciliation scene seems to imply that. That's the way I would interpret it.All in all, I enjoyed this movie and its characters performances, specially Francesca and Giulia, they were realistic to me, but the men were just a little too weak for their male nature. I highly recommend this movie.

Desertman84 The Last Kiss is an Italian film about the anxieties brought about by adulthood and parenthood.It was written and directed by Gabriele Muccino.It is in the genre that mixes romance,comedy and drama that features a brilliant cast namely: Giovanna Mezzogiorno,Stefania Sandrelli,Stefano Accorsi together with Martina Stella,Pierfrancesco Favino,Claudio Santamaria,Sabrina Impacciatore and Giorgio Pasotti. In the movie,parenthood stirs up a wealth of mixed emotions. Carlo and Giulia are a couple in their late twenties who realize they've crossed the final threshold into adulthood when Giulia discovers she's going to have a baby. Even though Carlo has already settled down, he sees parenthood as the first step towards becoming the sort of middle-class suburbanite he's never respected, and he's not happy about it. Carlo's friends are also having mixed feelings about the onset of maturity: Adriano can't decide if he should go through with his marriage to Livia , Paolo is trying to find a way out of going into business with his father, and Alberto seems to be waging a one-man war against monogamy by seducing as many women as possible. Meanwhile, Giulia is having her own misgivings about parenthood, and her mother Anna is torn between happiness for her daughter and dread that she's now old enough to be a grandmother; Anna's malaise isn't eased by the lack of compassion shown by her husband. The Last Kiss is a film that is characterized by great performances of the cast.Special mention should be given to Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Stefano Accorsi as they did portray brilliantly on how immature adults fear growing up and facing responsibility. Gabriele Muccino,writer and director,keeps things very energetic with fluid and complicated camera work capturing characters who are bursting with personality. But the film falls short in terms of interest nor care that the viewer would sympathize to the characters involved as it boils down into having a formulaic and predictable conclusion when the end credits roll. Nevertheless,it never fails in giving entertainment.

emattie97 Great for Italian speakers and those who do not know the language. This film captures the authentic Italian "way" while making you laugh. I think if you will enjoy this film regardless of age or gender (although I suggest it for people who are at least 17). On a more wistful note, Ultimo Bacio allows you to contemplate how the characters and storyline relate to your own life. Raises the challenges that we face when we love - the conflict that we feel. The movie skillfully addresses the struggle between responsibility to self and others, doing what is right and expected vs. doing what one wants and thinks will make him/her happy. Fast-paced cuts from one scene to another make the film easy to watch while keeping your attention. You will love this film! Fantastico!

casch0101 Good for Gabrielle Muccino, who wrote and directed this film!. A very good film. The user comment I read in this board mentioned whether or not to take seriously the italian's temper or if the outbursts were meant to make people laugh. The answer (from my South-American Latin perspective) is...of course they were serious and very real!. We don't usually "hide" our feelings. If we feel angry, we show it! If we feel great, we show! When we laugh, we laugh out loud! When we love, we do it with passion! The film is very good. Martina Stella (the 18-yr old high school girl who falls in love with the 29-yr Marco) in her featured debut is very good, and simply delightful to watch, since she is actually very pretty and sexy. I saw this film on DVD in the same session along with "Bella Martha" (also written/directed by a woman, Sandra Nettelbeck, check it out). Even when the latter is superior, "L'ultimo baccio" (Italian for "The Last Kiss") is nevertheless a very good film. This film mixes a first-rate modern cinematography with what used to be called "Italian realism" of the 50s and 60s. The mix is great and works fine.