If You Were the Last

At first, I thought this movie was a time stretch...meaning it would've been a perfect tale for an anthology TV show but felt too stretched out to meet a standard movie length. But! Then I realized that it had effectively latched itself to my heart and made it ache for these characters. Well played! I very much appreciated that they didn't leave the story in space. I get that it's a whole vibe to leave movies on an open-ended note, but I prefer a nearly wrapped up bow. Call me unsophisticated, but I'm a sucker for a full love story. I also commend the team for managing to make a low-budget space movie that felt better than if it was done with and endless budget. The cutesy space stuff worked for me, it made it more endearing. Thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

In fresh dramedy "If You Were The Last" astronauts Anthony Mackie & Zoe Chao are stranded alone in space for three years on a charmingly lo-tech spaceship (which is in no way authentic - that's not the film's vibe) with no comms to earth but food, air and batches of music & movies. To pass time they ponder issues like the pro's & cons of sleeping with each other - including the emotions involved (or lack thereof). Geoff Stults & especially Natalie Morales give good support, and Kristian Mercado directs with fine quirky style on his debut, matching debut writer Angela Bourassa's script that's more light, bright, chick-flick than legitimate sci-fi. A good, effective, original film.

The storyline has some interesting beats, and the performances by the leads (Anthony Mackie & Zoe Chao) are endearing. While it's best not to dig greatly into the sci-fi aspects of the film, this is one of those films that's uplifted greatly by the camaraderie the protagonists share. Even routine activities carry a delightful charm, and given the isolated setting of the film, it also helps that both the leads are fantastic dancers.

The writing (especially, the dialogues) gives them both sufficient shades and spends time detailing their pop-culture preferences (music, cinema), making it easy to connect with their mindsets. A particular decision they decide to take (and the moral dilemma behind it) is presented quite nicely. The visuals exude a Wes Anderson-esque charm; the colors are rich and bright, making the environs of the "space box" really appealing. Some of the storytelling steam is lost in the final 30 minutes and the resolution to the film's core problem is rather quick, but it sure doesn't take much away from its watchability factor.

I've never heard of Zoe Chao, but she is quite charming! And this is probably the first non-Marvel movie with Anthony Mackie that I actually enjoyed. Together, they make this idea work. And the levity of the interesting visuals works as a nice contrast to the seriousness of the situation, and it's quite different from my expectations.. which further assisted my enjoyment very much.

It's rather simple, but very personal. Goes to show that you don't really require a gigantic budget, when the idea and execution can properly entertain you for 1 hour and a half.

Easy recommendation for anyone looking for "Comedy + Romantic + Sci Fi" story.

First off, Sci-Fi is my favourite genre - this movie however is only sci-fi in respect to Space being the only locale possible for its premise.

I found the movie's quirky, extreme low budget effects a perfect match tonally for its overall feel - and it even gave me a few giggles. If however, you require ALL your sci-fi films to be hyper-realistic and filled to the brim with the latest generation CGI - you best skip this one.

Comedy-wise, you're not likely to have too many great belly laughs either, but the script and the Leads fantastic chemistry will ensure you have a smile on your face for the majority of it.

As I said, this movie is simple - Very - but if you want to curl up on your lounge for 90 minutes with your partner {or prospective partner} , be well entertained, and finish with a warm fuzzy feeling - you won't be disappointed.