The Last Word

'The Last Word'(2008), starring my mate Winnie and one Wes Bentley (of 'American Beauty' fame), I read the description on IMDb.com, it went a little something, actually, exactly like this:

"A man (Bentley) who makes his living composing other people's suicide notes enters into a romance with the sister (Ryder) of a recent client." Hmmmm, I thought!

I added it to my favourites so that I could go back and watch should the mood take me, anyway it did, I've just watched it, and now I'm writing this.

Bentley plays Evan… I must say that this was the first thing i've enjoyed seeing Wes Bentley in since 'American Beauty'. Probably because his character in this movie is pretty much an older Ricky Fitz! Evan is a loner, poetically deep, interesting and intriguing… Had an abusive father… Yadda-yadda-yadda.

Evan writes suicide notes (hence the title: 'The Last Word') for clients who've contacted him through his website. One of Evan's current clients is a guy called Abel, played by 'Everyone Love's Raymond's Ray Romano.

I've never seen Ray Romano play any other character before and I really enjoyed his performance in this film. Abel's friendship with Evan grows during Evan's developing relationship with Ryder's character Charlotte.

I never knew this movie existed before this weekend, and everything in it is subtle and yet achieves maximum impact.'The Last Word' is unpredictable, funny, honest and sad. Well it's not very sad per say, considering it's main theme is death! But for a piece which walks hand in hand with suicide it is actually quite light, yet not at all offensive or disrespectful. It follows Evan's story and it has a happy ending. It's the type of film that I don't plan to watch again, but probably will do, and probably more than once.

In my opinion this movie is a wee gem. It's strangely beautiful, a bit like that carrier bag blowing in the wind! I recommend it.

I even feel a need to make a shout out to the guy who wrote and directed this movie, his name is Geoffrey Haley. He has two writing credits to his name, one short film and this one being his only feature film. His greatest plethora of work takes place within the camera and electrical department; if you check out his film credentials on IMDb, he has over 80 for camera and electrical, steadicam operations being his apparent forte. You will no doubt recognise a lot of the films Haley has worked on, one of which was 'American Beauty'…

Swings and roundabouts folks. Swings and roundabouts.

If you just want the same old romantic comedy, this movie is not for you. It's a bit dark, a bit weird, but totally entertaining. Fresh, surprising and not formulaic. This movie definitely has a bit of everything - some odd comic relief and some touching moments and some romance and even a few things to get you thinking.

I loved Wes Bentley in American Beauty and I rented this movie just for him. He did not disappoint - he's a little off-kilter, but in the best possible way. Perfect in the role of Evan - strange but endearing.

Winona Ryder, on the other hand, was miscast as Charlotte. I like her and think she's very talented, and I didn't think she ruined the movie. But she wasn't quite right either, and I think this would have worked even better than it did with someone else in her role.

But that's a minor complaint. If you're wondering whether to see this, go for it. You'll be glad that you did. I certainly was.

A quite refreshing to see romantic drama film.

Although i'm not sure, maybe its a Hollywood thing where you can plan your suicide for weeks or months in advance but statistically in the rest of the world suicide is mostly a spur of the moment decision, that part was always in the back of my mind whilst watching, so it did derail the story a little for me during the film.

Regardless it was still a decent watch, some good acting, but overall the characters didn't really capture your love or affection to warrant getting too involved in the film

Worth a watch, but the rewatch factor is pretty low.

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.

So-so. Was initially interesting but drifts from a point and fizzles out. Could have been profound, but ultimately wasn't.

Good to see Winona Ryder, in a rare decent 2000s role for her (good to see Winona Ryder, full stop). Solid performance from her. Wes Bentley is a bit irritating in his role, but maybe it is because the longer the movie went on, the more I disliked his character.