LAST NIGHT (2010)
You know the story. Marriage. Love. Temptation. What is it about affairs that Hollywood loves so much? Still, despite having an all too-familiar plot Last Night is a surprisingly subtle movie about dancing on the tightrope of loyalty. The married couple in question get in a fight the night before the husband, Michael (Sam Worthington), has to go on a out of town business trip with an all too-tempting business partner (Eva Mendes). His wife, Joanna (Keira Knightley), is left to her own devices...which just to happen to fall in line with an old flame (Guillaume Canet). Despite the fact that it's worn and tired ground, Last Night is unexpectedly refreshing. It's a very genuine look into these four characters' lives and never takes sides, giving both husband and wife the opportunities to rise and fall to the occasion.
Ironically enough, one of my favorite bits of this movie is, in fact, the dynamic between the supposedly doomed couple Keira Knightley and Sam Worthington. They have excellent chemistry together and pull off a beautiful, yet believable domestic couple. Not to mention, their fight is probably the most well-written piece of the whole film. As for the supporting cast, Eva Mendes always leaves a little to be desired (but that's the point of her, no?), while Guillaume Canet plays an excellent charmer (or is it just the accent?). Overall, the script it concisely done, and running a neat 90 minutes it's able to take what it came for and catch the next flight out in the morning.
I heard good things about the movie. I don't know if I would be able to sit through it, though. Mendes and Worthington are one of these actors whom I consider pretty useless and I can't even look at Knightley after "A Dangerous Method" :)
ReplyDeleteI still haven't seen Dangerous Method. I have to get on that! If you don't like any of the actors, this will probably be a pretty hard movie to sit through.
DeleteI don't know what it was about this flick, but I absolutely loved it. And believe me, Last Night is NOT my kind of movie, but once you got past the absurd coincidence of the plot, I thought everything in it played out as organically as any contemporary adult romance I've seen.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I'm just as surprised as anyone that I loved it so much.
I'm with you. Completely. I was toying with giving it 4 stars, but then decided I wouldn't respect myself if I awarded a straight will they/won't they cheat movie 4 stars. But the thing is...it's just a good, solid movie. Especially the end. You've got to give it credit for owning what it is and sticking to it.
DeleteHave not seen the movie, but I like to see Sam Worthington. He has a lot to learn, but he has the material to work with.
ReplyDeleteHe's pretty damn good in this one. He doesn't have any wild action sequences to play out or cheesy one-liners to deliver, so he's good when he's got a good script in front of him.
DeleteI'm in. Sounds like one the wife might enjoy. And maybe I'm an asshole, but I like (though not love) all the actors.
ReplyDeleteYou have summarized Mendes perfectly. Genius! I kind of feel that way about Worthington, too - but not nearly as much.
Without watching a frame of it, I am questioning Worthington and Knightley as a couple. Hmmm.
My thoughts exactly. I'm a fan of all the actors myself, so I wasn't complaining.
DeleteAnd I've got to agree! Mendes and Worthington do have something in common, acting-wise. Which should make them good together, but...
Worthington and Knightley. You have to see it to believe it. Somehow, they pull it off. Probably the accents.
Haven't seen this one, but it sounds interesting. Thanks to you.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! It's on netflix, so it's an easy catch.
DeleteOMG!! I'm sorry, but I loathe Sam Worthington and Keira Knightley and think they are two of the worst actors. To me they ruin every film they star in. Keira plays her role Jules from Bend it Like Beckham every single time and Sam is so wooden he makes frozen pasta look alive. I wouldn't trust either one to be Latte Customer #4 in a movie let alone carry it.
DeleteIf you dislike Worthington and Knightley, you better stay far away from this movie. And possible put out a warrant against it so it doesn't get within a certain number of miles near you.
DeleteLatte Customer #4! Win! I take it back...I want you to see this movie just so you can burn it. Your'e hilarious in your angry mode.