Australian filmmaker known for such classics as The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and Six Degrees of Separation, Fred Schepisi tells this story about a group of lifelong chums coming to terms with their friend's death, based on a prize-winning novel by Graham Swift. When Jack Dodd (Michael Caine) passes on, his three best buddies (Tom Courtenay, Bob Hoskins, and David Hemmings) along with his son (Ray Winstone) carry out his last wish -- to have his ashes cast off the pier of the seaside town of
Margate, where he and his beloved wife honeymooned and where he hoped to retire. As the group venture to the coast in a large black Mercedes, they reminisce about their younger, wilder days. Eventually, they end up in a pub where, in a haze of beer and tears, secrets are unveiled. Meanwhile, Jack's wife, Amy (Helen Mirren), visits the mentally disabled daughter that Jack refused to acknowledge. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
Delicately handled and superbly textured, this fine adaptation of Graham Swift's Booker Prize-winning novel deals with all the really big subjects: love, friendship, death, life.
The joy of Last Orders is its pub talk, the Cockney joking and provoking style of banter, and the extraordinary group of actors who bring the characters to life.
Old people will love this movie, and I mean that in the nicest possible way: Last Orders will touch the heart of anyone old enough to have earned a 50-year friendship.
Last Orders nurtures the multi-layers of its characters, allowing us to remember that life's ultimately a gamble and last orders are to be embraced. It's affecting, amusing, sad and reflective.
Extremely uneven film that benefits greatly from strong performances by its talented cast. Even so, this plods along at a snail's pace with jarring flashbacks that take you out of the story. If I didn't like looking at Ray Winstone so much, I might rate this lower...
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