Customer Reviews

The Last Word

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Another excellent production from ThinkFilms, where the past is dragged along as the future becomes epigrammatic and silent.

Evan (Wes Bentley) chances to earn a modest living writing suicide notes for clients who no longer have the desire or the strength to live. His poetry is in dissonance with his imperturbable and aloof demeanor, which deadens the aura of every frame he is involved in, even the more erotic and moving. However the plot hits a high note when Charlotte catches a glimpse of him at her brother's funeral, whose suicide note was authored by Evan. She does not become acquainted with the nature of Evan's poetic engagements and amid strife and guilt becomes endeared and ultimately enamored with the numb introspective intellectually brooding Evan. Charlotte - here played by Winona Ryder with effortless wit and sophistication, teeming with energy and spontaneity - chases after Evan, for what initially seems to be a means of making amends and an effective way to grieve, only to eventuate into a full-blown passionate love affair which Evan fails to repel intent on keeping his stoic persona, for his resolve is overwhelmed by the appeal of his ex-client's beauty and joy de vivre, her flair and her impulsive absorption into a life she is emotionally engaged in, and one which, to the contrary, Evan distrusts and lives only at a distance, removed from the exuberance it excites in Charlotte.

Matters are further complicated as Evan befriends a client (Ray Romano), whose honest pitiful and cynic character offers many of the laughs in this production amid the torture of a numbness that echoes in the hollow inner lives of the prospective suicides.
We increasingly become aware of the pain Evan has been repressing and silencing and the cathartic effects he gleans from his sinister job. Amid quotes of terrifying darkness, and an emotional vacuum we find the impetuous Charlotte and the humor-twisted friend-client wrest Evan from the lull of his life which implodes when threatened by a thief with words reminiscent of his abusive father's violence. The cold and detached protagonist is played to perfection by Bentley whose acting style lends him agreeably to such roles.

The writing is extraordinary, on par with Being John Malkovich and The Eternal Sunshine, but the directing is rather impervious to the brooding feel of the movie, and tends to contrast with the dark comedy which opportunely offers relief and gut wrenching laughter. Sinister but philosophically deep, eloquent and scintillating whenever Ryder is on the set, we become stirred and jolted as we recognize how emotionally retarded human beings are and how much pain must be suppressed to live as socially integrated human creatures. The end sizzles with raw energy and emits an overcharged tone of loss and redemption deadened just enough to dispel despair, blunted by the sterility of a love affair that spurs Evan to new horizons however hopeless and alienated from desire they may be. The quiet remains and pierces deepest when Charlotte turns her back on an affair that is impossible, unhealthy and warped. The acting and the script make this an exceptional viewing, if only the directing was as able we'd have a masterpiece.
This production, is described indelibly in one of Evan's note, where we linger on drifting away from memory's shore...

"The Last Word" tells the improbable story of a standoffish suicide-note writer (Wes Bentley) falling in love with the sister (Winona Ryder) of one of his clients. The more she learns about him, the more she likes him--until she discovers what he does for a living. The best performance in the movie comes from Ray Romano (and I've never been a huge fan of "Everybody Loves Raymond") as a prospective client who works doing background music for schools.

If you can get past the improbability of the basic premise, there is much to enjoy in this movie. Bentley makes his character believable (as much as any one person could), and Ryder gives a lively performance. A good rental with a Sundance pedigree.

Winona Ryder is really fantastic in this film and you just have to keep watching just to see how it turns out. If you haven't seen this yet then I highly recommend it.

I don't know why ThinkFilm decided not to distribute this film in theaters. It's a quirky, funny, dark, romantic comedy. Wes Bentley and Ray Romano inject the perfect amount of sadness into their roles. Winona Ryder gives a spirited and lively performance. I thought it was well written, despite being slightly predictable. I was glad I saw it.

the most purely magical ending in cinema history happens and we get to watch Richard Riehle (very under rated actor) toss a fax machine off the cliff......and then blow up at the bottom...cinema style!!!

This movie caught me from the opening music, I bought into it immediately. I particularly liked the cast, Winona Ryder (I don't think she has looked more beautiful in a long time), Wes Bentley, and Ray Romano. Sounds like a strange cast that couldn't work, but it does in a very odd way.

Evan writes the last words, for people apparently contemplating suicide. He has an approach, get the person to write a diary, get to know them well, and then write a poem or poetic prose that is read at their funeral. Evan is boring, stiff, and looks like a hairy Jeff Goldblum (has no clue how to move on camera); exactly what the script ordered. In the opening montage, Evan attends a funeral. He's taking notes, there's not a lot of people at the funeral. Charlotte (Winona Ryder) notices him and they talk. She is attacted to Evan and a relationship develops. Of course Evan has to lie to Charlotte about how he knows her brother that is dead.

Essentially the story boils down to The Importance of Being Ernest. The whole premise is Evan not telling the whole truth and hiding himself behind not talking a lot. Innuendo.

The film had some good style and pacing. The photography and set production were very good.

Ray Romano was a surprise. He's finally not Raymond stand up or unhappy husband. I thought the cast worked together very well.

One and a half hours. Rated R for language, there is no nudity. Very littel violence.

A small film, that I enjoyed very much. Seems I am in the minority on the enjoyment of this film.

This quirky film hit on so many levels. Ray Romano gave a great peformance. It had a perfect combination of comedy and tragedy and pulled through at the last second for a great ending. A cult classic for sure!

I don't understand why this film wasn't in theaters?? I found it to be way better than many films that do go to theaters! I recommend buying the dvd! 5 stars!

Admittedly, I think Ryder has found a niche for what she can convey professionally now. Between this and Sex & Death 101, she performs the stalker/scary girl quite well. Wes Bentley has always had that squint/scowl look, but his emotions were better parlayed in Ghost Rider than anything of note here.

This bizarre story of an unlikely poet writing suicide notes for clients gets injected with the VERY recently grieving cuckoo girl played by Winona. Through the coarse of his drab existence and her drunken acting, a strange bond develops built upon lies and bad dates. Ray Ramano plays one of his clients, but for his fans I would watch Eulogy again before this.

The picture is adequate and the grain/artifact is sparse. The DTS gets utilized rarely, maybe some sublime background sounds and one night club dance scene. Ray gets one good line, 47:05 is the only laugh out loud scene (can't write it) and the ending reminiscent of Office Space makes for the few good moments in an otherwise dreary film.

Playing it in the store attracted no one to it, and the flurry of misplaced F bombs are the only reason for the R rating. I would say the casting was done well for an inconsequential film, and I would stick with watching the other films I listed here if these actors are your favorites. The 10 minutes of deleted scenes and the Blu quality do not make this much of an owner, but probably a decent rental on a Sunday night.

The movie opens rather promisingly and the main character has an interesting character arc throughout the movie, but the ending nullifies anything that might've made an important statement about anything. This is truly a shame.