On the surface, both the story and the characters in "L'Ultimo Bacio (One Last Kiss)" seem awfully familiar. After all, the panicky father-to-be-who-strays storyline has been done to death, dating back to 1988's "She's Having a Baby." And the other "insights" into midlife crises, relationship foibles and marital woes featured in this Italian import aren't exactly new.

Yet, all of that is approached here with refreshing honesty, and with decidedly less gloss than your typical Hollywood comedy. And unlike those films, this one's not afraid to take a more serious tone in its second half.

That alone makes the film worthwhile, but there are also extremely solid performances from the ensemble cast. Leading that group is Italian star Stefano Accorsi, who plays Carlo, a 30-year-old advertising copywriter. He's living with his girlfriend, Giulia (Giovanna Mezzogiorno), and they've recently learned that she's pregnant, which should be cause for celebration. And at first it is.

But then, Carlo sees the liberty of his childless friends (Marco Cocci and Claudio Santamaria), and he starts having doubts. That probably explains why he suddenly finds himself in a relationship with an 18-year-old high school student (Martina Stella).

Meanwhile, Giulia's mother (Stefania Sandrelli) is having doubts about her own relationship. She's started looking for fulfillment elsewhere — to the horror of her husband of 30 years (Luigi Diberti).

Then there are Carlo's buddies, who aren't as happy as he'd like to believe. In particular, his married pal Adriano (Giorgio Pasotti) also wonders if he's cut out to be a father.

At times, it seems as if writer/director Gabriele Muccino is making a case for not staying married or for staying childless. But there's a lot more going on here than appears on the surface. Accorsi's conflicted Carlo is completely believable — even if he's not entirely sympathetic. And of the supporting cast, Sandrelli impresses the most for her turn as the equally confused grandmother-to-be.

"L'Ultimo Bacio (One Last Kiss)" is rated R for occasional use of strong sex-related profanity and crude sexual slang terms, scenes of simulated sex, brief violence (domestic and an automotive mishap), brief female nudity and brief drug use (marijuana). Running time: 110 minutes.

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