By Delia Paunescu

“Oh the places you’ll go!” This is what young people are told. It’s written on graduation greetings, gift cards and even wrapping paper. How could anyone have anything but the highest hopes when a rhyming man in a pastel balloon has such optimism for the future?But what happens when the elusive “future” comes and the happiness promised doesn’t follow it?A movie unlike many in Hollywood (the film is a remake of 2001’s Italian L’ultimo Bacio), The Last Kiss dares to ask this question. Its characters struggle to find meaning and reason despite many detours on their ever-clichéd road of life.The story opens with perfect couple Michael and Jenna (Zack Braff and Jacinda Barrett) as they reveal their pregnancy to her parents, Anna and Stephen (Blythe Danner and Tom Wilkinson). Yes, this is a very good cast.Cracks in the foundation of both relationships are soon revealed. Michael is afraid of the finiteness of marriage, while Anna feels unloved after 30 years of it. Then there are his friends, a typical group of guys with their own insecurities and looming questions about the future who both add to the dramatic storyline and offer comic relief. It is a coming-of-age film but unique in the sense that the entire cast comes of age. Not only are the almost 30-year-olds unsure, their parents are equally confused. The film is most reassuring in this aspect and explains to its doe-eyed audience that no one knows it all. At its core, The Last Kiss is a realistic portrayal of a struggling young couple similar to last summer’s The Break-Up, which saw real-life couple Jennifer and Vince in a no-holds-barred feud. This time around the disputes are over much more than a condo. The realism with which such fights are portrayed leaves one truly astonished. Braff and Barrett certainly deserve praise for pulling off scenes that contain enormous emotional impact while still maintaining the humor often found in real-life arguments. In presenting the various crises of today’s overworked 20-somethings and their even more tired parents, the film finds itself dealing heavily with the idea of infidelity. It is at this point that The OC’s second-chair ingénue (Rachel Bilson) enters as Kim, a college co-ed who strives to make Michael stray from his apparently blissful relationship. Only after royally screwing things up does Michael realize how happy he actually was.The characters are all flawed and make bad decisions because those they thought were right haven’t brought the happiness originally promised. Unfortunate as it may be, it takes heart-wrenching decisions – over which the characters and audience simultaneously agonize – for both to finally understand that most choices were the right ones to begin with. Never has a case of “the grass is greener” been more successfully presented.And for those who still believe in the promises of the pastel man and his balloon? The film offers this advice, “Do whatever it takes. You can’t fail if you don’t give up.” What great advice that is. Grade: A-