The Last Word (I) (2008)

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.

Director:

Geoffrey Haley

Writer:

Geoffrey Haley

Stars:

Wes Bentley, Winona Ryder, Ray Romano

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wes Bentley	...	Evan
Winona Ryder	...	Charlotte
Ray Romano	...	Abel
Gina Hecht	...	Hilde Morris
A.J. Trauth	...	Greg
Katherine Boecher	...	Clara
Brendan Miller	...	Brent
John Billingsley	...	Brady
Alison Moir	...	Susan
Kurt Caceres	...	Sammy
Allan Rich	...	Francis
Richard Riehle	...	Man at Gorge
Michael Cornacchia	...	Client
Jules Adrianna Sorensen	...	House of Pies Waitress
Rachel Grant	...	Peppercorn Waitress

Storyline

Evan keeps to himself, almost without affect. He's 30, a former foster child, living alone, writing suicide notes for people. He attends a client's funeral and meets Charlotte, the client's sister. She pursues Evan; he's silent about his real work and invents a friendship with the brother. About the same time, Evan starts working with Abel, a new client, a composer of phone-waiting music who's depressed. Evan confides in Abel about Charlotte as she begins to draw him out. Crises await the self-contained Evan: his relationship with Charlotte is based on a lie, and his incipient friendship with Abel is headed toward suicide. Are more dead ends ahead?

---

Plot Keywords:

suicide note | telescope | giraffe | poetry | writer | 

---

Taglines:

A romantic comedy where opposites distract.

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Bar 107 - 107 W. 4th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deviant Films, Dreamz

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 90 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Shirley drops Evan home they talk a bit and we can see Evan wearing the safety belt, then we see Shirley, then Evan again but without the safety belt on. At the end of the conversation we see Evan with the safety belt on.

---

Quotes

Abel: Sometimes while I'm jacking off, my mind will wander, and I'll start thinking of totally random stuff, like whether I'm out of peanut butter. So later, when I'm at the store, while I'm standing in the peanut butter aisle, I'll pop a boner. I'll be standing there at the store sporting wood because I'm staring at fucking peanut butter. So then, of course, I have to go home and masturbate.

---

Soundtracks

"Wicked"
Written by Kendall Marsh
Performed Kendall Marsh
Courtesy of Mental Music Productions, Inc.

User Reviews

Excellent drama

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.