The Last Word (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
A.J. Trauth	...	Greg
Katherine Boecher	...	Clara
John Billingsley	...	Brady
Alison Moir	...	Susan
Mickey Mickey	...	Robin (as Mickey Ewan)
Kurt Caceres	...	Sammy
Allan Rich	...	Francis
Richard Riehle	...	Man at Gorge
Michael Cornacchia	...	Client
Ivar Brogger	...	Priest
Jules Adrianna Sorensen	...	House of Pies 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?

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Plot Keywords:

suicide note | kissing | masturbation | writer | wire cutter | 

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Taglines:

A romantic comedy where opposites distract.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to an interview he gave to the New York Times in 2010, this movie was made during the middle of Wes Bentley's decade-long, extremely serious addiction to cocaine and heroin. He said in that interview that he only accepted any movie roles during that time so that he would have money to buy enough drugs.

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Goofs

While driving on the freeway with Evan, Charlotte has her hands on the steering wheel which is at a 90 degree turn to the left. She would not be going straight with the wheel like that. You can see that her hands are placed correctly, but with the wheel like that, they would be driving in a circle.

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Quotes

Evan: Where were you born?
Charlotte: Bethesda, Maryland.
Evan: I've never been there; is it nice?
Charlotte: I don't remember; I was zero at the time.
Evan: Alright, look. I... I don't really... date much.
Charlotte: And you're doing great. So far, since we've been here, you haven't scoped out any other chicks, or stolen my credit card. Which is a lot more than I can say for my last date. So, in my book, you're aces.

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Different

If you just want the same old romantic comedy, this movie is not for you. It's a bit dark, a bit weird, but totally entertaining. Fresh, surprising and not formulaic. This movie definitely has a bit of everything - some odd comic relief and some touching moments and some romance and even a few things to get you thinking.

I loved Wes Bentley in American Beauty and I rented this movie just for him. He did not disappoint - he's a little off-kilter, but in the best possible way. Perfect in the role of Evan - strange but endearing.

Winona Ryder, on the other hand, was miscast as Charlotte. I like her and think she's very talented, and I didn't think she ruined the movie. But she wasn't quite right either, and I think this would have worked even better than it did with someone else in her role.

But that's a minor complaint. If you're wondering whether to see this, go for it. You'll be glad that you did. I certainly was.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 2010 (Romania)

Also Known As:

The Last Word

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,298

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deviant Films, Dreamz

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1