Last Night

"Last Night" is a drama in its pure state. Wrapped around a couple who is married for 3 years, it discusses about basic pillars of marriage and its fundamental importance and effects once shattered. The couple who values loyalty and Trust yet finds themselves in situations to be disloyal lures up in lust and desires, at time becomes helpless although they are deeply in love with each other.

Joanna Reed (Keira Knightley) is the wife who is a writer and a works freelance most of the time spends her time at home. Michael Reed (Sam Worthington) is the husband who works in a construction contract company sometimes goes out of town for business purposes. They live in a decent apartment in the city and lives normal just like any other couple with small arguments and moment of love. After attending to an office party Joanna notices that her husband is spending time with a lady friend Laura who she was not aware earlier and suspects that he has something else to do with her. After a mild argument Michael leaves town for a business trip with a team which involves Laura which makes Joanna quite uncomfortable. But for her amusement while she spends the day alone she meets her x boyfriend unexpectedly and decides to go out for dinner with him. While Michael spends time Laura and finds himself to be irresistibly charmed by her, Joanna spends the night with her past love confused and feeling insecure.

This movie is not unique. Or it does not have truly dramatic turns or twist. But it flows smooth and calmly while giving the viewer ample time to think the characters and most of the time guess what their next moves will be. More than just watching a story this is about looking in to humans and the way they behave and emotions. If I say 'Last Night' is more about feelings than a story it will be quite correct. When it comes to performances I quite admire everyone in the main roles. Keira is stunning with her looks and attitude throughout and Sam plays the confused husband with skill.

Marriage comes with thick boundaries with love and trust deeply caged in it. Yet at times that strong boundary seems to be so thin and fragile when life becomes complicated and feelings are not just words. Maybe living with the guilt of not knowing the boundaries is the toughest of all.

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Last Night is a typical movie that my girlfriend would usually enjoy on our movie date on Fridays. Romance! Another chick flick I thought. I was actually in suspense from beginning to end. What's so great about this movie is that fact that many of us could've empathized in any end of the spectrum. For a movie that took place in one day, it wasn't as obvious since each plot was meticulously thought of. In any given moment I'm expecting to guess the next scene, no cigar. What really got me is the end. The writer left us in suspense. Okay are you going to say something about the purple stilettos? I hope there's a part two. This definitely a couples movie. This movie definitely deserve a better rating than what's given.

I enjoyed this movie because it shows real life.There are many difficulties and temptations in a relationship, especially a marriage and that could be a start for someone to watch it.Sometimes it's good to get an idea of what really is going on in reality.We are so used to see a happy end and foolish problems and many may not appreciate the plot .I believe though that the end is a little poor, but maybe on the other hand it lets the viewer decide what would he do in the circumstance that was presented, because the characters can relate to every common man or woman.I also liked very much the chemistry of Knightley and Canet, but in my opinion Worthington and Mendes were not really the best choices, not that their act wasn't good, it just did not hit the eye. I also loved the location!

I am very surprised "Last Night" got a rather lukewarm user rating on IMDb. From my point of view it is a movie that is very honest, if terrible in its depiction of relationships, love and faith. There were many moments, where I expected the movie to lose its momentum, where the filmmakers could have chickened out, but that never happened. Maybe too much is talked about, when some things could have been told through pictures. Then again, I found all dialog very believable. My only criticism concerns Sam Worthington's rather wooden performance. Apart from that "Last Night" really knocked me off my feet, from the beginning right until the brilliant final scene.

LAST NIGHT is a tightly woven tale that explores the psyches of four people in one fascinating evening. This is the initial directing outing for Iranian-American writer Massy Tadjedin ('The Jacket', 'Leo') who also created the story and the script: the film is so fine that we doubtless will be hearing more about her.

Joanna Reed (Keira Knightley) is a beautiful young writer married to commercial real estate developer Michael Reed (Sam Worthington) in what appears to be a happy marriage despite the struggle between two careers. Michael takes Joanna to a company party and there she observes the soft spoken Michael paying attention to one of his co-workers, the sensuous Laura (Eva Mendes), an act that Joanna feels indicates unfaithfulness or at least suspicious behavior on Michael's part. The seed of doubt is planted, Michael is leaving for a business trip to Philadelphia the next morning with his coworkers Andy (Anson Mount) and Laura, and there is friction between Joanna and Michael that Michael's reassurance cannot overcome. The next day as Joanna sops for coffee she encounters an old flame from her time spent writing in Paris - Alex Mann (Guillaume Cadet) - and they agree to meet that evening. Chemistry resurges and that evening as Alex and Joanna dine with Alex's publisher Truman (Griffin Dunne), both are questioned by Truman about their past affair, Joanna admits she is now married, and Alex is in a relationship in Paris. The couple leaves and circumstances lead them to return to Joanna's apartment where they face their feelings. At the same time as this evening is developing Michael and Laura enter a seduction dance: Michael is faithful to Joanna but the emotionally bruised Laura persists in her attempt to pull Michael into her web. The manner in which each of these temptations resolves and the aftermath is the brilliance of Massy's writing and direction: this is a story written very much form a women's vantage and that fact allows each of the characters to become very well defined and credible.

The quartet of actors is well matched: Knightley continues to mature as a fine actress, Sam Worthington breaks out of his stodgy shell to allow us to see a man driven by fidelity and tempted by lust, Eva Mendes takes Laura to a higher dimension of being, and Guillaume Cadet is undeniably an Alex who few women could resist: he has true star power. The method of pairing the development of the one night by flashing back and forth between the progress of the two couples in the dance of seduction vs fidelity is extremely successful. This is a thinking person's movie and an introduction of a writer/director who already has shaped the beginnings of a successful career. Highly Recommended.

Grady Harp