The Last Ride (2012)

Pretty Good

One of my all time favorites.

hyped garbage

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Not exactly how I envisioned Hank to be but I certainly did not know him. This movie needed Hank Williams music in it to make it complete - and you know he crashed many of bars and took over the stage, he loved to show off, he loved the limelight, he had to be seen and recognised, it it would have been great to have heard Hank tell his story to the young driver, to see flashbacks that lead up to where they were at that point - because to be honest parts of this movie were kind of flat, a little back story would have been a real attention grabber... where was that in this movie? I would give it an 8 - only because I think Hank have more charm & character than they had the actor express. I know this was just his 'last ride' but Hank had a real temper he also was smooth as silk with the ladies and he was one rowdy guy always looking for a fight - I just think maybe they could have let Jessie James add a lil more oomph into this character... this is definitely worth the watch. Kaley Cuoco was awesome in the movie, even though she had a small part.

When done right some of the best films out there are those dealing with real life people, especially those that have become icons in the entertainment industry. For some reason some get the big budget treatment and others seem to be left to the straight to video or limited run route. The latest is The Last Ride focusing on Hank Williams senior, but takes an interesting direction with the tale, but does it deliver? The Last Ride follows the end of 1952, with the best years of Hank Williams's career behind him, he hires a local kid to drive him through the Appalachian countryside for a pair of New Year's shows in West Virginia and Ohio. This is one of those films that is a bit hit and miss depending on how you look at it. On one side it is pretty intriguing the direction and time period that they chose to go with to tell this story of Hank Williams. While entertaining it is almost a bit of a letdown as this isn't really a Hank Williams story at all, but still is. This film plays more of a character study that relies mostly on the performances and the direction in hopes to tell this story in a way that is different than most of its kind. Through most of the film the lead character has no idea who he is driving around, which in turn makes it engaging waiting for that big reveal moment when he knows, but sadly that point never comes. There is no doubt he realizes, but it isn't played up as much as you might think and will probably be anticipating. On the flip side the performances are all pretty well executed keeping what could have been a slow boring film engaging and worth the time spent. There are some strange choices regarding green screen at times for some driving moments, but also seems to give it an old film feeling that kind of works with the time period.This isn't a perfect film by any means, but is interesting on a few levels. The choice of what time they chose to make the focal point and lack of ever using any of him performing in the movie or even the soundtrack makes it a big risk but does manage to payoff. The overall film plays out more like a well-made TV movie, but these days is not necessarily a bad thing. Filled with a great cast and easily one of Henry Thomas' best performances in some time The Last Ride manages to keep your attention and take you on a trip worth riding along for, especially for those that are fans of Williams. Just know going into this film it is not the story of Williams struggle in the music industry, but his struggles in life when it was probably time to hang up his hat.

"If he don't make it to the show, you don't get paid." Silas (James) is a young mechanic who is looking to make a few extra dollars so he decides to take on a job driving a man named Mr. Wells (Thomas) to a New Year's eve show in West Virginia. The only rules are to get him there in time and not let him drink to much. Neither seems to be an easy task. This is a hard movie to review. The movie is OK, but would be better as a play. The scenes when they are in the car look so fake and is obviously on a sound-stage that its almost distracting. I'm not sure if the William's family was involved in this but the whole movie plays without anyone ever calling him Hank. The soundtrack is OK, and acting could have been worse but the movie just seemed flat all the way through. Overall, a movie that would have been better served as a play. I give it a C+.

"The Last Ride" portrays the last days of legendary country western artist Hank Williams who died on New Year's Day in 1952 while traveling to a concert in Canton, Ohio. There is none of the smarmy sentimentality of the 1964 biopic You're Cheatin' Heart starring George Hamilton. Henry Thomas' Williams never sings a line or strums a chord. Instead, we see him staring waxy- eyed from the back seat of his Cadillac as he slowly succumbs to both substance and alcohol abuse and the residual affects of childhood Spinal Bifida. Occasionally he directs a pointed barb toward his newly hired driver who is frantically trying to get his celebrated passenger (the driver never seems to be aware of who his passenger actually is) to the appointed destination. It is this serendipitous pairing and resulting relationship of these two men, one celebrity and the other a ne'er do well, that is the heart, indeed the only real focus, of the film. By fits and turns, what starts as a cold, cold heart towards most of the rest of the world warms to one of a genuine love and respect between two people who can, in the end, truly call each other friends. As far as I know, this film has only shown in Arkansas and Louisiana to date. It deserves a much wider release and more critical review. It is one of the best movies of 2011.