The Last Word (2008)

The Age of Commercialism

Sadly Over-hyped

A Masterpiece!

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

at first sigh, the Wes Bentley return. with small observation - it is not really a new American Beauty. it is bitter, sarcastic, a kind of dark chocolate. a part of long chain about strange men and nice girls, secrets and fundamental choices but all are only details.because it is a fresco not for a love story but for life love. a different writer and his clients. a meeting and a relationship. and old story, with cinnamon traces, about she and him. I love it. for its aura, for the levels of story for Wes Bentley in his perfect character clothes, for Winnona Ryder and her work to be decent Charlotte.like many films of present,a movie about nothing or only about insignificant events.

Wes Bentley is Evan. When he meets people and they ask him what he does, he tells them he writes for special occasions. Mainly those special occasions are the suicide notes his clients plan to leave behind. These are not just small notes, they are elegant poems composed especially for the client and to reflect his or her life and the reasons for ending it. In one funny comment, Evan notes that one particular client received an award for his poem ... posthumously.Winona Ryder is Charlotte, the sister of one of Evan's clients. During the weeks leading up to the suicide, when Evan met with him to develop the thrust of the final poem, he gave Evan a photo of him and his sister. Evan thought she was beautiful and wanted to meet her, and does at the funeral service.So far, so good, but what happens next kind of lost me because it didn't seem reasonable. Evan's personality is flat and uncommunicative, but for some reason Charlotte pursues him. Then she takes him to a LA area lounge for drinking and dancing, something he absolutely found no fun it. But she keeps pursuing him until they become a number.The third key character is Ray Romano as Abel, who composes music for "backgrounds", like when you are on hold on a phone call and you hear music in the background.Anyway this is a quirky and often funny movie, but funny in a subtle way. I like Wes Bently, going back to his Ricky character in 'American Beauty.' Ryder, I can take her or leave her. When I see her I think of the messed up shoplifter of a few years ago.The movie would have no value if that's all there was, but through their interactions the three main characters all learn new things about themselves, and grow.

This film was written & directed by Geoffrey Haley.I must commend him for creating 3 fine main characters & casting the right actors in each role.This is a somewhat sad & depressing movie, with very little humor. Somehow it actually works, I watched with keen interest the quirky goings on. Winona Ryder, who has having career other real life problems is back & she is just great, I do hope she continues getting more important roles.Wes Bently who started out like a ball of fire in American Beauty, then had trouble finding decent roles is equally good. He is a fine actor & deserves good roles, more like this.Ray Romano in a dramatic role (for a change) proves that he an do more the the comedy roles he does on TV>These 3 & the remaining cast members make you pay attention & listen.There is only one action scene towards the end it helps us understand a puzzling plot point.this is not a major film by any means, rent it & see it, I think you may like it like I did.Ratings: *** (out of 4) 82 points(out of 100) IMDb 7 (out of 10)

Comedy? No, folks, there are no laughs here. Great ending? Hah! The bit of relief at the end weighs like a feather compared to the darkness of the movie as a whole. This is a drama, a dark one, with suicide and love deceived and betrayed constantly in the background, yet the plot is compelling, and love tries to wriggle its way to the surface amid the human refuse. An excellent script, particularly if this is the writer's first. Strong, touching performances by Wes Bentley, Winona Ryder and Ray Romano. Don't see it when you're looking for some light entertainment for the evening. But when you're ready for something serious and something that might stick in your mind, see it then. There won't be many movies of its quality this year.