In a word, I found the movie to be quite entertaining, in part, because it mentions at the beginning that it is based on true events. I don't understand the $9 million dollar budget, as it looks like a movie that would have been shot for TV or straight to video. That aside, "The Last Ride" depicts a heart-warming study into a small piece of life of one of the most beloved and greatest country artists of all time, Hank Williams. As in most of his career, he was "looked after" by those around him, due to his unreliability in part as a result of terrible alcoholism and drug use (morphine to dull the pain of his spina bifada). This movie depicts a situation where everyone around him does their best to care for him, in their own way, to love him, and in the end, understand his poor choices, to a degree. On the downside, I think the movie tries hard to gain the empathy of the watcher, however falls short in endearing Williams character as a tortured soul, looking for acceptance in anyone he would meet. It might have been the acting. It bared a sad existence for the country legend, but it also was a story of an evolution of friendship between two men from different worlds who only knew each other a few days. I am not sure that casting Henry Thomas as Hank Williams was the right one. It seems that the quirky nature of Thomas' depiction of Williams seemed forced, looked unnatural. Jesse James on the other hand, played his young driver well, and believably acted a 19 year old kid who was taking a lesson in life from a master, (Williams) who had virtually seen and done it all, at the young age of 29. I was also mystified by the casting of Kaley Cuolco (Big Bang Theory), in that she didn't possess the "naturalness" of someone who lived in the '50s (I did), lacked the "southernness" for someone who was born and raised in the area, and seemed to be too "old" to be the love interest of Williams young driver. I think there might have been better choices for this role. I was also confused at the seeming lack of recognition that people had for Williams as one of the biggest music stars of the era. Some of the scenes where intelligent characters for example, such as a small town judge, didn't recognize him as a famous figure, once he was standing before him. This seemed very strange throughout the movie. The viewer only got a glimpse of his notoriety and fame when a bar owner at the end of the movie told the young driver, "Tell him my stage is his stage, anytime". Overall, the movie is a good watch. Its entertaining and interesting. I am not sure however, if it really was a top notch representation of the kind of character Hank Willams was, in the end.
Review of The Last Ride
