The Final Curtain (2002)

A rivalry develops between a showbiz veteran and an upstart newcomer.

Director:

Patrick Harkins

Writer:

John Hodge

Stars:

Peter O'Toole, Aidan Gillen, Adrian Lester

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Peter O'Toole	...	JJ Curtis
Aidan Gillen	...	Dave Turner
Adrian Lester	...	Jonathan Stitch
Julia Sawalha	...	Karen Willet
Patrick Malahide	...	Dr. Colworth
Ralph Brown	...	Timothy (Channel Controller)
Sally Dexter	...	Linda
Ian McNeice	...	Priest
Charles Simon	...	Monty Franklin
Mark Williams	...	Declan Farrell
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dorothy Atkinson	...	Betty (Contestant)
Inday Ba	...	Caroline Stitch
Todd Boyce	...	Pete Lanyard
Louise Brill	...	Cindy Minx
Greg Canestrari	...	Lou Nordstein

Storyline

A rivalry develops between a showbiz veteran and an upstart newcomer.

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Plot Keywords:

television | fictional game show

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Taglines:

2 popular game shows. 2 popular hosts. No scruples.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and brief drug use

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 2002 (France)

Also Known As:

Bis zum letzten Vorhang

Filming Locations:

Brocket Hall, Lemsford, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

DNA Films, Young Crossbow Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor) Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Piano Concerto no. 21 in C Major"
(K467)
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

Another Waste Of Lottery Funds

The opening credits of THE FINAL CURTAIN rolled and the very first credit stated that this was a film produced by Universal Studios in conjunction with DNA films . I missed the rest of the credits because I was through the kitchen making a cup of tea but when I came back I was struck as to how the film played out because the whole style of the movie screamed " British lottery funding " . How could this be since the movie was financed by an American studio ? We're shown an all too long ex positional sequence complete with voice over showing diverse clips from THE BLACK AND WHITE MINSTRALS and DOCTOR WHO in a movie that uses the technique of a TRAINSPOTTING wannabe . Two things I found out after the film had finished were that THE FINAL CURTAIN was written by TRAINSPOTTING adapter John Hodge and that the movie was indeed funded by the national lottery

This explains a lot because say what you like about Hollywood studios but at least they know what the public want and the public don't want to see a pile of nepotistic crap with zero money making potential . Lottery funding has killed the British film industry in many ways because it has stopped film makers earning their money . The producers get paid therefore they're under no pressure to make a film with any type of national or international appeal . For every 28 DAYS LATER there's ten movies like THE TANGO LESSON and IT WAS AN ACCIDENT and THE SLAB BOYS , films that should be drowned at birth and which this film goer would pay good money NOT to see . Be honest , despite an avalance of British film releases in the last ten years how many do you think are genuinely good movies ?

The story ( If that is the right word ) revolves around the rivalry between two hideously successful game show hosts JJ Curtis and Dave Turner . If you want to understand how unrealistic this scenario is then imagine Chris Tarrant and Chris Evans embarking on a murder campaign against one another . A ridiculous idea for a storyline isn't it ? but not that the producers , screenwriter and director care . You can just imagine them holding their sides laughing as someone is asked to give JJ a circumcision or as someone is electrocuted . Guess what ? I never thought I'd start laughing and I didn't . And by making Curtis and Turner so unlikable there's no empathy for the audience . Having these characters as protagonists means to the audience it's kind of like being Polish during the second world war where you had Hitler to the West and Stalin to the East . No matter who wins the audience will be the loser

I'm actually shocked that people have come on to this page and awarded THE FINAL CURTAIN high marks or the fact that 115 voters have given it an average rating of 5.8 when a more realistic score would be in the region of half that because this is a fairly terrible film made by people who are far too lazy to make anything resembling a half way decent one