The Last Supper (I) (1995)

A group of idealistic, but frustrated, liberals succumb to the temptation of murdering rightwing pundits for their political beliefs.

Director:

Stacy Title

Writer:

Dan Rosen (screenplay)

Stars:

Cameron Diaz, Ron Eldard, Annabeth Gish

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cameron Diaz	...	Jude
Ron Eldard	...	Pete
Annabeth Gish	...	Paulie
Jonathan Penner	...	Marc
Courtney B. Vance	...	Luke
Bill Paxton	...	Zachary Cody
Nora Dunn	...	Sheriff Alice Stanley
Ron Perlman	...	Norman Arbuthnot
Dan Rosen	...	Deputy Hartford
Amber Taylor	...	Girl in Coffee Shop
Matt Cooper	...	Jerk in Coffee Shop
Charles Durning	...	Reverend Gerald Hutchens
Mark Harmon	...	Dominant Male
Gil Segel	...	Iowa Resident at Door
Rachel Chagall	...	Abortion Activist

Storyline

Jude, Luke, Marc, Paulie and Pete are liberal-minded roommates and grad students at a Iowa post-secondary institution. Every Sunday for the past year, they have hosted a dinner party, inviting a friend over to have an open-minded discussion about whatever topics are of interest. On a dark and stormy night when Pete was supposed to bring a friend for one of those dinners, he instead comes home with Zachary Cody, who rescued a stranded Pete whose car broke down. They invite Zach to stay for dinner instead of Pete's missing friend. They soon find out that Zach is among other things a racist neo-Nazi, which brings up a potentially dangerous situation for Jewish Marc and black Luke. After some physical altercations and verbal threats, Marc ends up stabbing Zach dead out of what he considers self-defense. As the friends discuss what to do about Zach, they finally come to the conclusion that in killing Zach, they have done society a service. So they ponder 'why not invite other ...

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Plot Keywords:

dinner | iowa | dinner party | stabbing | car | 

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Taglines:

Love... Sex... Life... Death. In this house it's all on the table.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, and for some sexuality and violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

La última cena

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$442,965 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Electric Pictures, Vault, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bill Paxton shot his cameo during a weekend off from filming Apollo 13.

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Goofs

When the group is arguing after Luc stabs the girl who hates Catcher In the Rye, the victim is supposed to be dead with a knife in her back, slumped over the chair, but she can clearly be seen breathing.

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Quotes

Paulie: We've got to call the police. They'll understand.
Luke: Sure they would. Grad student kills war hero with a knife. You'll probably just get a ticket.

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Connections

References Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

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Soundtracks

"When I Fall"
Written & Performed by Sam Phillips
Courtesy of Virgin Records America, Inc.

User Reviews

90's Political/Philosophical Dark Drama

This is one of the several dark dramas dealing with political/philosophical issues that seemed to invade the big screen in the 90's. Another prime example but with less heavy drama and more fantasy/comedy is Dogma starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. This 1995 film stars several actors that were big names in the 90's - Cameron Diaz, Bill Paxton and Jason Alexander. The story is very dark and bleak indeed. A group of young college-age liberal intellectuals meet daily to discuss the "enemy" that are conservative extremist and anyone they feel are full of "hate". Though well-meaning and clearly sensitive people, they begin to justify a series of murders. These murders are committed as they invite individuals they despise and disagree with politically and philosophically. They poison the wine using a blue decanter. Visually and dramatically, the movie is one of the few good dark movies that came out of the 90's. Art direction in the film seems to gravitate towards symbolic Diego Rivera style art, especially during the opening and closing credits.

I feel that some of these then unknown actors (mainly Cameron Diaz and Bill Paxton) were overly dramatic in their roles but then again they were struggling to get recognized as actors. This was still before Bill Paxton would enjoy success in later films such as "Titanic" in 1997 and also "Twister" which he starred opposite Helen Hunt. Cameron Diaz came on the Hollywood map with "Something About Mary". Even like this, their dramatic acting is logical and believable. The leader of the group of friends is the most brainwashed of the bunch, nearly conducting himself as a cult leader. In a way, this movie looks at how a cult can function. Also this movie is a caution tale: there is possibility for evil in both the extreme conservatism and extreme liberalism. It seems quite appropriate a story for today's divided country. It's sad to say America is losing its democratic roots in favor of an elitist and partisan climate. I found to be a great and poignant movie.