The Last Sign (2005) User Reviews

At least Samuel Le Bihan looks good in it!

[donkeyfur · 4/10 · 30 March 2005]

OK, I am a red-blooded female. Sometimes I rent a flick simply because a good-looking actor is in it. When I saw the DVD box for this one I recognized Samuel Le Bihan from "Brotherhood of the Wolf". Since I thought he was "all that and a bag of chips" in that one, I decided to check him out in this one. Also, I like Andie MacDowell well enough and I was curious to see what their fellow cast mate Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in the Christopher Reeve "Superman" flicks) looks like these days.

Undeniably there are much better flicks out there, but this one wasn't all bad. There are a few kinda creepy/mysterious scenes and some interesting camera shots and angles. And, yes, Samuel Le Bihan provided some enjoyable eye candy to offset the creepy-as-usual Tim Roth. By the way, has Roth ever played a sympathetic character? If you like the current hit TV series "Medium" starring Patricia Arquette, you will most likely enjoy this movie. It sort of reminded me of some story lines on that show.

In general, I believe film audiences are jaded in the 21st Century. We are desensitized by the plethora of special effects and blast-'em-up extravaganzas with high body counts. It seems that fewer people want to invest the time in a lower-key film, such as this one, in which seemingly random details come together in at least a somewhat cohesive whole at the end. That's not to say the film wrapped up all loose ends, because it didn't. That is one reason I didn't give it more stars. Another reason is the uneven acting. In other words, some of the cast provided more convincing portrayals than others. And, Margot Kidder is as goofy as ever. I hadn't seen her in anything in a number of years.

For my time and money, I would take this film any day over "The Blair Witch Project", which, to me, is the worst movie ever.

Not worth your time

[d_coscina · 2/10 · 18 October 2006]

A weak and incoherent premise. Made worse by poor acting - especially from the male "love interest", who delivered his lines with such a boring, monotonic voice, it's hard to believe he cared about being alive, let alone the troubled heroine. The "special effects" were non-existent. The kids in the family were much more upset than one could believe they should be given how long their father had been dead. Finally, Andie McDowell has never been a great actress. She should have stuck with modeling. In fairness to her, the script was so bad, I don't think even Merryl Streep could pull off a convincing portrayal of this half-psychotic grieving woman. And why Tim Roth would waste his time on this project is beyond me.

I got this as a free movie from Blockbuster because I rented another first-release one. Even being free, it wasn't worth the time it took to watch it. And that's saying something for me. I usually can watch even the most tepid, unpolished Independent movie yet find something worth while in it. Not this one.

Did I fall asleep and miss something?

[Jeane1525 · 2/10 · 22 June 2006]

I took this movie out of the library free, so at least I didn't waste any money. The acting of all characters was unbelievable. It made me feel it was the directors' first directing job. There are a lot of loose ends that are not explained but by reading the reviews on this web site I now understand things better. Thank you IMDb. I know I did not fall asleep during the movie but that was how I felt since it seemed I missed something. It is not the worst movie I have seen but I definitely could have used the time in a more rewarding way. For some reason I missed picking up on the fact that the husband was an abusive alcoholic. Also whenever the two main characters were together I felt uncomfortable because it was embarrassing to watch such bad acting.

How NOT to Dub a Film

[EllenVMayo · 5/10 · 10 August 2005]

Okay...I admit it, it wasn't Citizen Kane. But thanks to the people who did the sound in this movie, it isn't even Citizen Le Bihan. Why oh why would you hire a fabulous FRENCH actor who is PLAYING a FRENCH engineer and make him sound like he's from Ohio?? It doesn't make sense. Like much of this film. The concept was good...widow of a great guy/rage-aholic creep keeps sensing and seeing him everywhere. Strange happenings abound. She lives in fear. Her children's lives are turned upside down. Mom desperately needs a wonderful, caring man in her life to help heal her and her children. Bingo...wonderful, caring guy materializes. The happenings increase. What's going on?! How will this turn out? Will she reject the wonderful, caring man or will they all live happily ever after?

GREAT actors--GREAT concept--GREAT locations. Not-so-great execution, dialogue, special effects. And just plain BAD dubbing of an extraordinary French actor. HINT to the sound department--in the future, remember this: if he's French, and he's SUPPOSED to be French, it's OKAY if he has a French accent!

One of the worst of all time

[mrschroeder1982 · 1/10 · 13 March 2005]

This is truly one of the worst movies I have ever seen, and I've sat through some real stinkers. "The Last Sign" features a deadly combination of wooden acting from Andie MacDowell, overacting on the son's part that soap operas would balk on, and a script that sounds as though it was written by a three-year-old. Consider this line uttered by Mark (Samuel Lebihan) at a baseball game. "Frank's team is winning. Now all the pressure is on Frank." This was followed by shouts to Frank of "Come on! You can do it!" It might look nice on paper, but it sounded so wooden and unrealistic coming out of their mouths that as soon as the movie was over, I wanted to throw the DVD across the room. Let's not forget the fact that too many unbelievable events happened for no reason, and the ending completely forgot to explain them all. Avoid this movie like the plague.

so much wrong with this film, I don't know where to start

[gerard-67 · 1/10 · 12 November 2005]

The acting with the exception of Andie MacDowell is awful, especially from Samuel Le Bihan (who plays the character Marc), who is so wooden its almost funny. The rest of the actors make do with a script that no one could save. No matter how good they were.

In summary, the script and plot are just plain pathetic. I would advise to give this film a miss.

Technical error: during the film, the car can not start, and you find out later it was due to a flat battery. However, the car's engine was turning over, just not firing, which if the director knew anything, is not a sign of a faulty battery.

Thanks God it 's the last!

[dbdumonteil · 25 January 2007]

This flick was intended to be a fantasy and horror work and it became a Harlequin Romance .How can a director do such a thing with an actor like Tim Roth?Anyway Roth is a ghost and he is not given a single chance to shine.Samuel LE Bihan's character is the straight handsome gentle -and of course clever-man who loves the heroine's children and who urges her to pick up the pieces and to give them a chance.

When the movie tries to be "scary", it uses all the hackneyed tricks which even the worst directing drudges would not dare :"I've just talked to your son/-But my son is dead " here's the "terrifying "dialog; The "old" colleague (Margot Kidder!) initiating McDowell to spiritualism is also ridiculous.

The last scene takes the biscuit,with its "moving" last sign ,naturally filmed in slow motion.

If you want to see a movie which tackles almost the same subject and brilliantly succeeds ,take FRançois Ozon's "Sous le Sable" starring Charlotte Rampling.(International title:"Under the Sand" )

Unwatchably Bad

[gracegibson · 1/10 · 15 August 2005]

This was the worst movie I have ever seen. No wonder it was released straight to video. I think everyone would've eventually walked out of the premiere. Almost everything about it was horrible. The acting made it sound like people just reading off the script (other than that, or people were over-acting with their face), the special effects looked like they were made on a Microsoft computer, the script sounded like it was written by an untalented 10-year-old, and the plot was the weakest ever written and made me constantly think, "What the heck is going on?". I wouldn't recommend this movie to my worst enemy. All copies of it should be destroyed!

Very bad acting but some interesting camera work!

[vocklabruck · 2/10 · 10 December 2006]

The first thing I want to say about this movie is that it reminded me this movie called The Entity somehow. Is it a coincidence that the woman had 1 teenage boy and 2 little daughters? Mmm... Maybe a coincidence or maybe because it was a cliché family left after the dad's death. The part that especially reminded me that movie is when the woman took the children in her car in the middle of a storm and took them to her sister's without explanations. The woman seeing that bellboy and talking with him also made me feel I was watching The Shining again.

Why do I think this movie is bad? The plot is weak, very weak. There are some laughable characters, for example the guy next door that conquered the woman's heart in a snap! Gosh, a couple of days and she was crazy about him. Even the 3 children were crazy about him!!! The other laughable character is that woman in the chemistry lab, who is supposed to be a human resources personnel. WTF??? Does she work in human resources and she is a kind of witch or something??? This character made the movie to become a comedy.

Another bit of comedy is that mom keeps telling her boy "Be careful with your motorbike" and stuff while she is a disaster driving her car! Take a look at how she drives and you will understand.

The acting was very bad and Andy Mc Dowell is beautiful but she looked quite old here, what happened with her face? All I can save in this movie is some great camera movements and the effects when the husband ghost appeared, for example, when he appeared reflected in a glass. I really enjoyed the moments when the husband appeared.

Wooden characters wandering emotionless looking for a plot

[Doug_Nuytten · 2/10 · 24 August 2005]

I don't know why I watched this whole movie. No emotion was displayed or evoked by any of the major characters except perhaps Margot Kidder. Her character was the only one that interested me. I kept hoping for something new to bring the movies many events together but it was not to happen. Plenty happens in this film but it all feels in vain as nothing happens to tie it all together or to add any drama.

I had a very hard time with the roles of Andie MacDowell and Samuel Le Bihan. They do not display any attractive body language. A single small scene of Andie in a sexy nightie seems completely out of place after all her previous night scenes. Never once did I feel any attraction between them making the final scene look awkward to say the least.

A love story featuring some ghosts

[guidomaschio · 5/10 · 6 August 2007]

If you are looking for a thriller this isn't for you.

I think this movie fit better into "dramatic love story" category.

The acting is good, I really liked the sadness that Andy McDowell put into her character: a lovable woman that is trying to recover from a bad marriage ended with the death of her husband.

The husband (Tim Roth) was a good and caring man but sad experiences turned him into an alcoholic and so their marriage became a sad and intolerable relationship. Then he died in a car wreck.

I found beautiful the opening shot, that shows a long flight above woods, trees, lakes, and rivers .. and then gradually get more zoomed until you can see a smashed car with a dead man inside.

The movie is very subtle in its tones and I liked the set design, the house and the various characters.

In this story ghosts have a central part but, despite that, it isn't exactly a ghost story; I'd call this a love story featuring some ghosts.

If they presented the movie as a love story I'd give it a 6 or 7, but all was telling me that this was a thriller, which it isn't, so I gave it 5.

Guido

Right on the mark for me - 'the last sign'

[elle-69 · 9/10 · 14 June 2008]

Widowed, too young, I must say that "The Last Sign" was not all that far-fetched, for what really happens, 'when'.

According to the experts, the paranormal is 'normal' in the case of sudden death, violent death or not, especially if the grieving 'other' is young.

The normal self-system rebels against death, in general, because the message of youth is life.

As a result, hallucinations, at least, and wild dreams are normal, for a bit, till the mind of the grief-stricken has a moment to recover from the shock.

If the grief-stricken person has a path to the paranormal, the hallucinations are quite real apparitions, visions and perceptions. Such are meant to be used as tools to help/resolve, and often are. hallucinations are merely nature's 'buffers' for the shock and usually go their way, soon enough. Our heroine was right to get help when it went on, though.

That is the key to normal/crazy in it: its duration and intensity. Mine stopped in a few weeks, and I actually tried to conjure them back up, a bit, for the comfort they brought, however zany.

Our heroine does the same: confront and win, though the details differ.

MY idea. not death's, not madness' ...MY idea. Baby steps to regaining integrity of the personhood, and a great strong new life. Had my art to the White House last year, so I guess it worked.

I was fortunate in that I had little conflict or guilt...my relationship with my late husband and that of our children was great. But I did not want someone new, for a much longer time, than girlfriends whose marriage had been difficult or unhappy.

Oddly enough, that our heroine needed to trash the past and make new happiness was in her favor.

New men in my life left fast, at first, unable to understand that I needed 'continuum' - not 'trash it and find new'. My late husband and the lives we made as a family were a thing to celebrate and remember happily and so build new happiness and grand new love. I won some great alone time, with my view, at the time, but am glad of it now.

One way or another, and unique to each person, the idea is to survive, to heal to resolve, and to get on with the miracle of life INTACT.

I especially liked this particular film's career-choice for the widow and the deceased, similar to ours, in real life.

Sci/tech minds can be stubborn at dealing with such scenarios, but great at being able to pick it up, focus and purposefully follow it out !

I just felt that the film deserved my true note of praise. And a chance to jot a note that might help a reader.

Thanks to all who made and screened 'The Last Sign'

elle

Death is not always as final as we think it is

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 9 April 2005]

**SPOILERS** After Kathy McFarland's husband Jermey was killed, when he drunkenly ran his car into a telephone pole, her life and finances took a turn for the worse. Not that Jeremy was a perfect husband but he was the bread-winner of the family and the one who Kathy's three children, Maggie Fiona and especially Frank, needed at this very critical time in their lives.

Going to work at Into a Chemical as a lab technician Kathy runs into Dora a very strange and interesting woman named Dora who seems to know a lot more about her life then she would want to talk to her about. Later Kathy rents out the cottage attached to her home to Mark, a French engineer who's working for a US firm. Soon Kathy starts to get these phone calls at precisely 12:15 A.M at night she also starts to see the number "8" everywhere she looks. She even sees "8" with a microscope looking at one-cell organisms forming at the bottom of a petri dish where she works at the lab; "8" was Jermeys favorite number.

Talking with Dora at work and later at a party she gave in her homes Kathy is told that Jeremy is somehow trying to get in contact with her. At first Kathy doesn't at all believe Dora and thinks she's some kind of a kook. Later when she runs into Furgus O'Brian who's life Jermey saved from house fire at the Moon River Hotel. Furgus tells Kathy the same thing that Dora told her earlier before; Jeremy is trying to get in touch with her.

Thing start to really get weird when Kathy, with the help of Mark, finds the number of who's been calling her every night at 12:15; It's from the "Moon River" hotel where Furgus works. Kathy also finds out from Jeremys death certificate that he died from his injuries in the car accident at exactly 12:15 A.M! Going to the "Moon River" hotel to confront Furgus about him harassing her Kathy finds out that he never worked there! Later going to the O'Brian home Kathy sees Furgus and after letting him have it about his annoying phone calls he seems undeterred and tells her that it was Jeremy who told him to call her!

Jeremy reason for trying to get in touch with her is that he wan't her forgiveness for all the trouble he caused Kathy and the kids when he was alive. Seeing Mrs. O'Brian, Furgus' mother,later at the house Kathy is stunned to find out that her son Furgus has been dead for six months! Then who was Kathy talking to just a minute ago? Furgus's Ghost?

So/So ghost movie thats a bit confusing in it's ending and leaves you up in the air to who just both Dora and Mark are. Are they real people or some kind of disembodied spirits like Fergus. Is this their attempt to get Kathy back together with Jeremy and forgive him in order to free his soul from the torment he's suffering, due to his treatment of Kathy when he was alive.

The ending of the movie tries to straighten out a lot of the uneven and confusing sub-plots in the movie with Kathy and Mark back together after she almost got killed in a traffic accident and Jeremy finally having his actions forgiven by Kathy and being able to "move on", like those of us watching the movie, to better things.

Pretty awful.

[Christopher_Reid · 1/10 · 2 October 2007]

I must admit that I might not have watched The Last Sign had I not been aware of its presence on the IMDb bottom 100, which I've found to be a reliable list of unintentionally hilarious movies. While The Last Sign certainly met my "high" expectations, it was not nearly as funny as I'd hoped it would be. In fact, I felt only a few of the scenes were laughably bad; most were either dull, mediocre, or confusingly pointless.

So, what about The Last Sign makes it so bad? Well, I thought just about everything about it was bad. The strongest aspect was perhaps the idea of the story which was itself not particularly original. Some of the shots (including the opening credits) were slightly creative but they still had this amateurish feel to them, as if Douglas Law (the director) has little cinematic taste or sense or was simply working well outside of his comfort zone. Outside of these minor "strengths", I thought the script was weak and lacking in purpose, the acting mediocre (Andie MacDowell delivered a vacuous performance while Simon Le Bihan was okay except that he was dubbed (*!?!?!*) and his scenes kind of stunk), the music was intrusive, cheap sounding and forgettable, the editing and cinematography were amateurish and overall the whole thing just lacked energy and originality.

I honestly can't tell whether the filmmakers were really trying to make a good film and were let down by their lack of talent and experience or if they were just lazily plodding through weak material. Either way the result was pretty crap. If you want to see a good supernatural thriller then watch The Sixth Sense (again). Or perhaps El Maquinista (The Machinist).

Which one? (DVD)

[leplatypus · 4/10 · 27 July 2010]

I thought at first that this movie happens in France, because of this green country, old mansion and french actor. But, it is located in Canada that gives me another reason to make a trip there.

The story is not original because a love story beyond grave has already been told in "Ghost" or "Always". But, here, the entire movie relies on the performance of Andie and she's excellent as always. It's not a common thing to have an actress of her age being the focus of an entire movie thus her fans (like me) should be happy.

In addition, it's has been a great pleasure to see again the wonderful "Lois" (Margot Kidder) past her middle life too. She is always so dynamic, mindful and her voice will be forever unique.

However, the script would have been better written because Andie is unfortunately very passive: She witnesses very strange things but never show reaction except fear and anguish and keeps all for herself. This isn't very believable.

At last, the movie is called the "Last Sign" and if I have seen signs, I wonder which is the last because none struck me very much.

laughable

[bobak2000 · 2/10 · 4 March 2006]

The storyline of this film is a great idea. Tim Roth is a great actor. Unfortunately, thats about all that can be said for it. A blend of some of the worst acting I have ever seen with a script that makes Moulin Rouge look good makes this film laughable. Events seem to just 'occur'... nothing is particularly explained although not a great deal happens and the supposedly french man next door is one of THE worst actors with the worst lines I have witnessed. Maybe its not his fault, but either way I found myself laughing every time he spoke... bless him. There were parts of this film that did engross me, such as the appearance of her dead husband and a local farm boy. This all said - I did watch it to the end, so decide for yourselves.

atrocious acting from the French guy

[neilmcdowell · 2/10 · 9 January 2006]

I bought this movie because Tim Roth was in it, and Andy MacDowell is usually worth a watch too. Unfortunately Tim Roth has hardly any lines, and the main male character is just awful, his acting almost made me stop the movie a few times, and even Andy MacDowells' acting lets her down at times.

Anyway, on to the plot. The movie starts like a regular horror/thriller, we get the arrival of a stranger in the protagonists' life and spooky music and the beginning of supernatural goings on. But then the movie kind of changes direction and comes to an ending more commonly seen in romantic comedys, it's a brave and original idea, but it falls flat and you feel nothing but relief that it's over and possibly a little cheated out of your horror movie.

On a positive note, it's probably better than Police Academy 6

One loose end after another

[amw-9 · 2/10 · 28 May 2007]

If it's possible to spoil such a poorly-conceptualized and constructed film, then look out for SPOILERS.

First of all, the premise is good, but wait. . . is it really a premise? We read in the plot summary that Jeremy (Tim Roth) had been an "abusive alcoholic" husband. This would give Jeremy's widow, Kathy (as well as the audience) a reason to be frightened by the prospect of his from the dead. But as it turns out, there is no real reason to be afraid of him. (I mean, more than you would be afraid of any ghost of a loved one).

The only evidence of what Jeremy was like given to us by the film indicates that he was altruistic, a good father, and a romantic husband. A gentle spirit, a doctor who started drinking because he can't make a dent in all the death and suffering in the world. We see ONE soundless tantrum where he is taking out his anger on the furniture in his own office. Kathy is standing by, looking not in the least threatened, but indeed, extremely sympathetic. In other flashbacks (which are little more than sound bites), he appears sober enough when she tells him that her and the kids are leaving, but by the time they drive off, yes, he has gotten drunk enough to throw a rock, which breaks the car window. The guy was losing everything that was left to him after the loss of his ideals- any normal person might get drunk on that occasion.

If you're not confused yet, late in the film Kathy remarks that Jeremy was killed at exactly 12:15 am, the same day they had left him. Well, it was dark out when they left him, but in the wrecked car "scene" (which is repeated several times in the movie) it is definitely daytime. Perhaps the accident scene was not discovered for many hours, but then how would anyone know he'd died at precisely 12:15?

This movie was filmed in Montreal, Quebec. Had the film located itself, we would know that the only possible significance of Kathy's sister mentioning that her new tenant, Marc, was "French," was to indicate he was a Francophone Quebequois; in other words, somebody with a very distinct accent. Did somebody fire the sound editor and forget to replace him? Or was it the actor originally cast to do the English dubbing for Samuel Le Behain who was fired (after which the sound editor himself was forced to fill in at the last minute? Whichever, the stiff, stilted voice of Marc did nothing to improve the credulity

of romance sparking between himself and Kathy.

Everyone (from Kathy's teen-aged son, to her sister Isabelle, to "Endora" at work) keeps pressing Kathy to move on with her life. Kathy repels Marcs's initial flirtation (having a memory of Jeremy pop up at just that moment). She has just barely gotten used to the idea that he's interacting well with her kids, when he suggests not taking his next job assignment so he can stick around and "settle down." When she doesn't jump into his arms, its his turn to tell her she needs to "let go" of Jeremy. Preposteropusly, the very next time these two are in a scene together is in the climax, when she has rushed to the airport to stop him from going to his next job. I don't think they've even kissed before. If this passes for romance, Kathy should have stuck to her sweet memories of Jeremy.

Don't even get me started on the Eudora character, played by Margot Kidder. As a character, Endora was the creepiest part of this movie, the way she kept coming on to Kathy. She doesn't even know Kathy, yet she keeps butting in, telling Kathy how she feels about her late husband. Perhaps the initial concept was for Endora to symbolize the wise witch or "hag" myth. That's would have been great, but instead they've made her dialog one cliché' after another: "I'm guessing you're either a Leo or a Cancer," because she ate the TUNA MELT?!?! Everybody knows Cancer and Leo are extremely different from one another. (If it was between the two, she really must have snooped in the personnel files, because Cancer and Leo fall next to each other in the calendar.) I felt sorry for Ms. Kidder, having to say all those incredibly stupid lines while trying to play wise woman. And I really hope those ill-fitting false teeth were props, and not her everyday teeth.

Director Douglas Law might have made at least a TV-quality movie, if he had abandoned the undeveloped character of Marc, dropped the vilification of Jeremy's memory, and made this movie about the way we never really lose the ones we love. But then it couldn't have been marketed as a thriller, and they wouldn't have been able to afford the lead actors' salaries.

The only good things about this movie was the beautiful location and aerial photography, and the effective (if microsopic) presence of Tim Roth.

not very good

[dcldan · 3/10 · 11 February 2007]

Kathy is widow that still remembers his husband, and alcoholic and violent man that died in accident car the same day they broke up. She fells guilty and is not able to rebuild her life. The apparition of a new neighbor, Mark, and the strange things that begin to happen in her life will change this. The story is very typical and has anything new, in most moments, it is very stupid, as things are happening without any logic. Most characters are empty, just a name and a body, with no flavour in them. The film develops with bad attempts of being frightening and the ending is, well, it is easy to do it better. It is a film for Sunday afternoon, when nobody is watching TV. But well, it is not very boring.

This movie aimed low...

[SILENCEikillyou · 4/10 · 29 April 2005]

...and hit it's mark. By aiming low, I mean it wasn't really trying to impress anyone and the ones who made it didn't seem to care if it did well, or not. However, it wasn't hyped or anything and I didn't even know it was out on the shelf for weeks. I do think it was a waste of time to watch it. I like movies with Tim Roth in them, but he didn't really do anything in this movie. The other actors were like cardboard cutouts of themselves at times... then at others, they were WAY to over the top. Mostly in the children. Granted they were supposed to be in turmoil, but nothing would ever seem to warrant or lead up to their sudden outbursts of defiance. Case in point:

|\\//\\SPOILERS//\\//| 1) The mother (McDowell) tells the kids it's time to eat. They practically ignore her and she tells them again, still calmly. Now they move but the one daughter snaps, "WE'RE COMING!"

OK... kids...

2) Then in a sudden and delayed and strange act of defiance, the son, holding his jacket and standing outside the door as they're getting in their car says abruptly, "I'm not going!" To which McDowell is like I'm your mother and then the kid goes... well... he DID have his jacket and he was outside and there was no prior protest about having to go.

END of spoilers

It just seemed like it was thrown together and no one really tried to have any development to this story, which MIGHT have been good, if done in another way. Still, even the plot and or story wasn't all that great to begin with.

4 stars is a low vote for me and this movie didn't really aim that high, I think. And didn't it seem like Margot Kidder had her mouth open a LOT. And she also had some strange, poorly timed pauses. Maybe she was trying to remember her lines. ANyway...

Diabolical.

[tonitrish · 1/10 · 24 October 2021]

Diabolical. That's it. Diabolical. One of the worst films I have ever had the misfortune to endure. The "French" accent on the lodger is unfortunate enough but that's the least of this films problems, of which, the main one being, is that it was ever made.

A Story With Good Intentions and Weak Screenplay, But not so Bad as Indicated in Some Reviews

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 10 August 2005]

The widow Kathy (Andie MacDowell) is grieving the loss of her husband Jeremy (Tim Roth) with the feeling of guilty. Jeremy, who was an idealist doctor in the beginning of his career and lately a drunkard, died in a car accident after seriously arguing with Kathy, when she was leaving him with their two daughters and a son. Her financial situation is not good, so she starts working in a clinic and rents a house in her property to the French engineer Marc (Samuel Le Bihan), who is temporarily expatriated in Canada. The tenant Marc has a great connection with her young daughters and especially with her teenager son, and falls in love for Kathy. However, she sees the ghost of her husband, and she feels not comfortable to have any relationship with Marc.

The intention of this movie is very good: it would be about a woman, living with the feeling of guilty after the loss of her abusive alcoholic husband, but formerly her beloved mate. Unfortunately, the screenplay is weak and has many flaws. For example, the financial problem of Kathy with the bank is used only for the introduction of the character of Marc, and is completely forgotten along the story. Why the ghost of Fergus needs to call her by phone, if she was able to see him? It was good to see Margot Kidder again, but her character is useless in the plot. Anyway, this movie is not so bad as indicated in some reviews and I found it a good entertainment. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Gritos do Além" ("Cries From Beyond")

Altogether a boring movie!

[CoyoteCrafty · 1/10 · 16 September 2005]

I went to see the last sign yesterday night, more because I came late to the theater, and thus missed the start of all the *good* movies, and also because wanted to go in anyway. I should have noticed that there were not many people besides me going to see it…

Samuel Le Bihan sounded cheesy (actually, he's been dubbed, which I don't understand since he was supposed to be French in the movie), Andie MacDowell should have used all the anti-aging creams she's always seen advertising (at least in France, we get to see her often like that), and Tim Roth looked, well, he looked like he wasn't there at all (but then he shouldn't have, since he was dead). The kids were cliché, too !

Worst of all was the Endora character, Whose name made me think about Sam's mom in the Bewitched show… Everything she uttered was completely insane… And she has false teeth !

No point seeing, and even less renting that flick, I'm telling you !

One of the worst films I've seen

[barrettwinans · 1/10 · 3 February 2008]

I wish I could have the hour and a half of my life back that I wasted on watching this film. When my wife and I picked this up at Blockbuster( she wanted to rent it, not me) I thought it might be decent with the actors in it. I like Tim Roth and Margot Kidder and Andie Mcdowell, just not in this film. Tim Roth's part is not big enough, Andie Mcdowell is just OK in this, and Margot Kidder is HORRIBLE in this film. She was good in the Superman movies but you wouldn't know that from this film. It was painful to watch her performance. Please save yourself and do not waste your time with this film. If you want to see Tim Roth in something good watch ROBROY. He is excellent in that.

Another Look and Listen to the Spirits of the Deceased

[gradyharp · 6/10 · 21 May 2005]

Hollywood seems increasingly interested in stories that deal with speaking with the dead, from the paranormal scientific approach to the solace for grief stance to the old-fashioned ghost tales. THE LAST SIGN sort of combines all of these approaches but does it with surprising subtlety and restraint and simply uses such ideas to speak to greater ideals such as forgiveness.

Director Douglas Law uses a strong cast to relate the story of a widow Kathy (Andie MacDowell) whose alcoholic, abusive physician husband Jeremy (Tim Roth) recently died in an auto accident. Still living in their large home in Canada, Kathy and her three children are coping fairly well until Kathy begins to receive phone calls at 12:15 AM from someone who remains silent. Out of financial need and out of fear she rents the cottage on the grounds to a handsome young man Marc (Samuel Le Bihan) who has an aura of the strange about him: is it real or imagined? At Kathy's work her boss Isabel (Margot Kidder) keeps her grounded and when Kathy relates seeing images of Jeremy and hearing suspicious sounds both of which cause flashbacks to Jeremy's abusive personality, Isabel encourages Kathy to attempt to speak to the dead and discover the secrets of messages and signs from the departed. Kathy's friend (the chronically underused fine actress Mimi Kuzyk) likewise is supportive and encourages Kathy to accept the attentive advances of Marc. Kathy's confused life calms when she is informed that the last sign that a departed can give is the one emotional trait that has troubled her most. The reveling of that sign from Jeremy and the resultant changes in Kathy and her family's life form a rather tender ending to this successful thriller movie.

The surprises come from the quality of performances: Tim Roth even without significant lines creates a wholly believable character; Margot Kidder returns to the screen after her notorious battle with bad publicity and gives an unforgettable performance of a quirky, slightly wacky but comic and caring oddball; Andie MacDowell keeps the difficult character of a widow with mixed reactions to her husband's death in believable focus at all times. The lighting and camera work are superb, for once letting our imagination about ghosts take precedence over that tired use of cartoon computer animation! Not a great movie, but certainly heads above much of the current Hollywood glut of other films in this genre. Worth watching. Grady Harp