The Last Time (2006) User Reviews

It doesn't know what it wants to be

[mj_882 · 6/10 · 20 February 2007]

I had the privilege of watching this film a few minutes ago. Since my opinion is still fresh and wouldn't be influenced by anything else at this very moment (at least not dramatically), I thought I'd share my thoughts.

Yes, my summary is "It doesn't know what it wants to be", and that is it's main flaw. Director, Michael Caleo, was brave enough to incorporate numerous themes and genres into this confused work. What starts off to be your average two lead comedy, wanders off into the thriller territory, and attempts to simultaneously touch upon the Rom-Com genre. I say Caleo was brave, because he took a risk where the odds were against him. He attempted something that could have easily failed, he tried to defy the conventions of your average Comedy/Drama by reinforcing (forcing, even) innovation.

Was it a complete failure? I wouldn't say so. I've been rather generous with my '6' rating, but there were a few redeeming qualities about it. The most overt quality was mainly Michael Keaton's on screen presence. His charisma was present, as always, and quirky demeanour was reminiscent of his pre 90s career. As for the rest of the cast, Brendan Fraser and Amber Valletta were tolerable, but nothing amazing.

The twist that unravels as the conclusion was lowbrow and felt rushed. In fact, a lot of the dialogue felt rushed. There seemed to be a lot of reliance on foul language to encapsulate it's comedic elements that it attempted to implement.

I'd like to sum this up by saying that if you aren't a Michael Keaton or Brendan Fraser fan, you might find it hard to be engaged, because as a movie on it's own, it isn't very good. However, it isn't all bad, Caleo's attempt is worth having a look at. The Last Time is an unconventional Dramedy (sort of) that didn't quite achieve what it wanted to.

The salesman

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 31 May 2008]

It's easy to dismiss "The Last Time" because like most people that have commented about it keep comparing it to David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross", an adaptation of his play directed by James Foley. While this film presents a different situation, basically, it is easy to see why Michael Caleo's film will be likened to the other one. In fact, Mr. Caleo made his name writing for television. His claim to fame is tied to the success of "The Sopranos", for which he contributed.

We are introduced to the sales department of what might be a corporation involved in computer systems, although nothing is made clear. The star salesman is Ted, a man with a filthy mouth and an aggressive attitude toward his prospective customers. He totally dominates the work force because he is a successful salesman who generates a lot of revenue for his company.

In spite of his exterior, Ted is a lonely guy. We see him getting to his huge loft apartment, a sterile atmosphere. One thing he can't be blamed for is the amount of books in the place; he is a big question mark with no apparent relationship at the moment. Ted is given the task of breaking in a new salesman from Ohio, Jamie, who has been hired based on his previous performance.

Ted obviously hates the assignment. There is no love lost between the men. Ted realizes Jamie doesn't have what it takes to make in New York, a tough territory, indeed. When Ted meets Belisa, Jamie's fiancé, he sees a gorgeous creature ready for the attention his groom to be doesn't give her. The two embark into a dangerous affair that could only lead to trouble, as we watch it play out.

In the process, we discover that Ted was a professor of literature at Northwestern. He has turned into sales from the world of academia, quite a change for him, or anyone for that matter. Ted, in a way, sees Jamie as the person he is not. In fact, that is the reason he goes after Belisa. Having conquered her, he has nothing else to prove.

The whole reason for watching "The Last Time" is its star, Michael Keaton. He runs away with the film. Model, turned actress, Amber Valletta, is a beautiful woman. She is believable as Belisa. As the addled salesman from Ohio, Brendan Fraser convinces us, but his presence can be irritating.

Fluctuates more than my Internet Connection...

[aisiop · 5/10 · 12 October 2006]

I just watched this potential disaster of a movie (comercially at least) in Athens, Greece. My feelings are mixed as I can never slam a Michael Keaton movie.

Lets me elaborate on what you may not like first.

1) If you've read the synopsis on the IMDb site, you've basically seen three quarters of the film. And if you thought this would enhance character development, guess again. It doesn't happen...

2) Frasier, on most parts, reminded me of Hayden's attitude on Attack of the Clones (with a spice of the Three Stooges all rolled into one), a whinny stupid 5-year old.

3) The use of the 'F' word (and I don't mean 'Freedom'). I must have heard it about 150 times in less than 100 minutes (you figure out the ratio).

4) The whole film tries to be interesting by incorporating ideas that where successful elsewhere (flashbacks, conspiracy theories etc) but fails to maintain focus on any of those tricks. Alas, the fluctuation is present every 2 to 3 minutes. An overly-simplistic plot may be an excuse for the directors efforts, but not for the audiences' $$$...

5) There is too much evidence on what's going to take place at the end of the movie. It may not be entirely predictable, but if you take a closer look at what could really be going on, you'd see how this one ends, halfway through the movie.

True, this was never going to be a Miami Vice in terms of hype or action sequences but it does have some plus points...

1) Keaton is good. Not top notch mind you, but he delivered as expected. He portrayed his character in a believable fashion for most part of the film and proved once again that he can still be the difference between an average movie and a movie that sucked... Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the rest of the cast...

2) Bitter ending. It doesn't try to sell the extra ticket by miraculously turning things around (like 'Click' did so infuriatingly, in an otherwise excellent showing). In other words, the film does not really have any 'sci-fi' connections but gives you a dry, directly-from-life ending which is so often missed in Hollywood...

3) You may find yourself feeling for the lead (Keaton) a little: once his true character is revealed, you know he would somehow get the shorter end of the stick...

To sum it up: Go see it if you're a Keaton fan... Otherwise...

A good film. An incredible Keaton.

[aprovost-2 · 12 July 2007]

Before reviewing this film, let me state that I don't think there's another actor who can create as much interest and tension as Michael Keaton. I often wonder how different the career of this beyond-brilliant actor would be if he had played the second Batman. Anyway, The Last Time is Michael's film. He looks great, he's thin, he's complex and he's outwardly cold. Which makes you wonder why he would put up with so many of Brendan Fraser's flaws, even if it meant getting to romance BF's beautiful wife, Amber Valletta. The story was for the most part compelling, though I wasn't totally comfortable with not knowing what the corporation actually made (Was I supposed to?) and why Daniel Stern was so hilariously freaked out. Near the end,the film took an emotional dip which led one to guess the ending before one should. Despite many flaws in logic, I think this was a fascinating film and would recommend it to anyone. My main complaint is what it always is: the swearing. Not because I don't like swearing, but it's always those false Hollywood-type vulgarities that everyone uses in the film, but very few men employ in real life. How do they come up with these sexual-scatological-homoerotic/phobic and ultimately silly curses. Try using any one of them at a business office, and you'd be out the door or on the carpet. Good film. Good performances. However, Michael Keaton, deserves to be in much more important films.

Thought provoking

[swicksall · 6/10 · 13 July 2007]

I did not think that this movie totally sucked. It was a thought provoking reflection of American culture and values. It causes one to wonder how far another human being will go to make money and how easily non-materialistic individuals in a capitalistically oriented culture can be duped by sharks that will rip them to shreds like defenseless bait. One weakness of the film was its depiction of women as greedy piranhas that only seek nourishment from money not love. There were no non-materialistic female characters in the film to balance out this theme resulting in a rather over-generalized characterization of women. If one can get past this problem, the premise that those obsessed with making money will go to unspeakable, evil lengths to attempt to satisfy their insatiable greed is an interesting theme to consider. If you rent the DVD expect to be entertained, but not completely enthralled.

Unusual worth while wild card movie choice!

[georgewilliamnoble · 7/10 · 4 September 2017]

Made for a reputed $4 Million dollars and released in 2007 to theatres in the USA. This is a pretty left field film which has the benefit of some great actors with the leads particularly good, who suck you into a spiders web of a story which though the big revelation does not wholly ring credible, is none the less well worth watching. As a footnote, this smart little indie film just shows how big Hollywood so often wastes millions of dollars on unworthy projects and poor film making.Finally i thought that Amber Valletta made the film work, while she was ably assisted by Michael Keaton who has become a really impressive and very versatile actor, who has left Batman a very long way behind.

odd movie

[pepekwa · 6/10 · 26 June 2010]

This movie didn't know if it was a dark comedy or a thriller or a drama or all three, a better. more experienced director may have been able to blend them all together.

What also disappointed me here was the twist after the twist, it should have ended with keaton realizing he had been scammed but again, we have to have a Hollywood ending so in the final scene keaton goes back to school smiling like nothing happened.

I didn't see the main twist coming which is always a plus point, I thought there would be a revenge ending but on reflection, its quite implausible what Fraser and Valetta's characters did.

Nevertheless if you don't think about this too much, its an OK rainy day movie. I watched it for free on comcast's on demand service which I wouldn't recommend as there are ads for TNT programing every 10 minutes and all the swear words are cut which i didn't like.

Almost more than ordinary

[raulfaust · 6/10 · 4 April 2011]

Yeah, who'd thought an apparently innocent film would make it like that in the end. This is the kind of movie that you expect nothing from but a cheap entertainment, and fortunately this one almost gets to the next level. The story is average written, it's quite entertaining and has a good twist in the end: that's what we expect from a good movie. But sadly I believe the directing was amateurish and it could have been a lot better, the concept of the movie was very good, but could've been better executed. The ending remembers "Pretty Woman" for an obvious reason.

The characters in here are veeery anti ethical, be prepared to see many disgusting scenes that show the bad side of the human nature. But overall be prepared to see a good movie anyways.

It's like when Mom would make dinner out of the leftovers from the last three nights

[MBunge · 4/10 · 3 October 2010]

This film is what you get when everyone has a different idea about what sort of movie they're making. Writer/director Michael Caleo thought he was making some sort of hip, clever drama like The Usual Suspects. Michael Keaton and Daniel Stern thought they were doing a comedy. Brendan Fraser apparently believed he was playing in some sort of angst-filled indy flick and Amber Valletta appears to have been doing some sort of tragic romance. Those disparate intentions slide into each other and produce a film that makes no sense and becomes more and more unintentionally hilarious as it tries to pretend that it does.

Ted (Michael Keaton) is the top salesman at a computer technology company in New York City. He's a living, breathing Yosemite Sam, so angry at everything and everyone in the world that steam is practically coming out of his ears. His pathetic boss (Daniel Stern) has teamed Ted up with Jaime (Brendan Fraser), the new salesman on staff. Jaime is fresh into town from Ohio and is the bright and chipper opposite of Ted. At first, Ted is simply disgusted with Jaime's happiness and can-do attitude, but that changes after he meets Jaime's fiancé Belisa (Amber Valletta). Ted and Belisa quickly fall in lust, leading to Ted trying to help Jaime due to both guilt and to keep him busy so Ted can have Belisa all to himself. But as Jaime's failures continue, he turns into an ever surlier version of Ted. And as Ted's own sales falter because he's obsessed with Belisa, the company starts to collapse around him. Then there's a big twist at the end which even the dimmest bulb will have halfway figured out before the movie is halfway over. You'll only figure out about 50% of the twist, though, because it's just so stupid. It's like a 14 year old's notion of a cunning plan.

The best thing about The Last Time is that the acting is good, but only in spurts. When he gets his chance, Keaton again demonstrates he's one of the great angry/funny ranters of his age. Stern is also good when he's on screen as the harried, sloganeering sales manager who always feels like he's drowning in quicksand. Valetta is suitably appealing as an object of desire and Fraser is almost as entertaining as Keaston when Jaime is allowed to just be funny.

The worst thing about The Last Time is that writer/director Caleo understands his own script about as well as a jellyfish understands algebra. There are parts of this movie that are straight comedy, parts that are serious drama, parts that as edgy, parts that are mushy, parts that are over-the-top ridiculous and about 7 different other stuff. Caleo, quite bizarrely, treats all of it exactly the same. This isn't a serious movie with funny bits, it's not a comedy with dark moments and it's not goofy film that gets a little outrageous. It tries to be all of those things equally to laughably lame effect. It'll be things like an overtly humorous scene that has starkly dramatic music playing on the soundtrack at the same time or something as insane as Ted and Belisa having sex on the same bed where Jaime is passed out drunk being treated like a garden variety affair. It creates this overriding sense of unreality that prevents you from enjoying any part of the movie that much.

Its little eruptions of comedy from Keaton and Stern, along with Amber Valetta going topless, prevent The Last Time from being completely unwatchable. There's a clunky fakeness to the whole film, though, that stops it from being that entertaining. You don't need to see this film but you won't end up hating yourself if you do.

Brendan Fraser ruined this film

[VHS-King · 6/10 · 14 September 2021]

Good story, great idea, great acting...with exception to Mr. Fraser... no wonder he doesn't work anymore. Keaton is on point as usual, Brendan just ruins it with over acting, which is his MO really. Unless it's Encino Man, the guy is not qualified to work with real talent.

A Transparent Attempt to Create a Psychological 'Thriller'

[gradyharp · 5/10 · 16 July 2007]

Michael Caleo's background in writing for television shows in this flimsy little flick that despite a solid cast comes across as tired retelling of the bad guy to good guy to bad guy sequences. There are some good one-liners in the film, with a script that is so peppered with the 'f' word that it is crippled by it, but the story has been done before and much better and this time around the 'twist' is obvious from the film's opening lines.

Goofus-doofus Midwesterner Jaime (Brendan Fraser) has moved form Ohio to New York with his gorgeous girlfriend Belisa (Amber Valletta) to join a sales company whose chief salesman is foul mouthed, ill tempered Ted (Michael Keaton) who appears to loathe everyone and the world. Jaime is assigned to Ted, but Jaime's level of intelligence borders on idiocy and his fate with the company seems doomed...until Jaime introduces Belisa to Ted...and the romantic fireworks start. Ted falls for Belisa and begins to change his outlook, confiding his inner spirit as a professor of English literature to Belisa. A transformation takes place and as Jaime spirals downward while Ted and Belisa's affair ignites, role reversal happens as a not at all surprising plot unfolds.

Michael Keaton is a fine actor and makes the best of this mouthy role, but Brendan Fraser's talents are completely wasted - a hint from the start that all is not as it appears... It is a mediocre movie and even if the audience doesn't turn off the soundtrack to rid the script of the trashy language, it can become insulting to the intellect. But again, Keaton helps it float. Grady Harp

Incredibly underestimated drama thriller

[LaserLounge · 10/10 · 24 August 2007]

I usually agree pretty much with the IMDb-Ratings but in this case I find it really amazing that it only gets 6.3 points (08/07). Okay, sometimes when you don't expect too much (because of poor ratings you get surprised and tend to overrate it. I give it a perfect ten anyway. Why? This is a wonderfully drafted/crafted drama thriller with excellent acting (especially Michael Keaton). The twists are fantastic and so are the dialogue. (I envy the screenwriter and will keep track of the director's career, too!) It delivers a great insight into the everyday life of an (unsuccessful) salesman. If you loved Wall Street and have a soft spot for B movies, you will like this one even more than Wall Street. Watch it!

odd film... can things be ironed out ?

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 9 April 2022]

Michael keaton and brendan fraser are ted and jamie, salesmen in new york. Ted has been doing this forever, and is very good at it, while jamie doesn't seem to be able to close a sale. It gets even more complicated when ted starts shtupping jamie's fiancee. Most of the movie is a total downer.... jamie can't seem to get a sale or satisfy his wife. He's off his meds. Very serious music. But we're not really sure what the point is, or what's going on. It doesn't really have a direction. But one thing is for sure... brendan fraser has moved past his family safe, kid's adventure films! Lots of cussing. Co-stars amber valletta. It's a cross between mr. Mom, glen garry glen ross, and office space. And michael keaton was in mr. Mom. This all gets tied up at the very end. Some twists and turns. And that weird ending just goes on forever. Bad editing? Or did it need a script fixup? Written and directed by michael caleo. The one, full length film he has directed so far.

I suspect something better existed...

[harbeau · 5/10 · 22 March 2008]

...before this film hit the production level.

I SUSPECT that this script was well-done. (though I couldn't find a copy of it anywhere.) The acting is what we would expect from top-tier actors. The directing seems excellent. But I suspect that somewhere between the film getting in the can and getting out the doorway...

...someone went at it with scissors. Or a blow torch. Either way, the race to the ending seems rushed and convoluted. Parts seem to be missing. Other parts don't seem to follow in order. Some parts are just plain missing.

Gotta hate those movies that end with you shaking your head and telling yourself "What the *@$ was that?" I felt sorry for those people that worked on the movie.

Studio Interference?

[seangroth-707-687167 · 6/10 · 9 June 2013]

This had a great deal of potential to be a very good film. The script was good. The dialogue was sharp and very funny. The characters and tensions were established early on and it was enjoyable watching them unfold. The twist was not unpredictable but it was clever enough and again enjoyable to watch unfold. Why then it was necessary to tack on the final scene, laying out the explanation so blatantly that anyone with the mental age of 3 would understand, I'll never know. The fact that this scene of the villains explaining their plan seems wholly out of kilter with the rest of the film, in terms of look, writing and performance, leads me to suspect that some committee of coked up studio execs got their paws on it out of fear it wouldn't have 'mass appeal', or that it was screen tested in front of an audience of thick people. The villains even changed into villain clothes and had villain hair. And the woman's pang of conscience at the end, weeping in the empty house was frankly embarrassing. The whole thing could have been resolved with reference to news of the takeover and Michael Keaton discovering he'd been conned, then roll credits. On a final note to some of the other reviewers on here: It was a comedy. And yes, swearing is funny. All 106 'f***s', 4 'motherf***ers' and each of the 5 'cocks***ers' (I do this for a living). If you don't like 'cussing' stick to Pixar flicks.

When the majors elephants dies!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 6 February 2019]

Average picture under the worst possible premisse, to compare elephants with homo-sapiens-sapiens, if you have a company headed by the clumsy Daniel Stern you certainly don't have any future ahead, now writing more seriously it's didn't happens on real life, all commercial companies there a head offices to keep track of all business, apart that Michael Keaton has one the most best acting in years, he'll slowly leting a bitter and fed up character into a really nice guy, even taking the best friend's girl, Fraser is the same always, Amber Valetta pays every minutes spent to see her in hot scenes even covered, the picture has unusual moments that displayed how the great companies works on sales!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

I would rather do the dishes.... seriously

[vegard_boehns · 2/10 · 8 January 2008]

Before renting this movie, my day had been great. I nailed my exams and was in the mood for a celebration. The review on the cover promised it to be "wildy entertaining"(-FulvueDrive-in.com). Now, after finishing the movie, I feel "empty inside", like Keaton so appropriately put it in one of the most cliché-ridden scenes ever.

The "clever and twisty" parts was conspicuous by its complete absence. Throughout the entire movie I was desperately waiting for some kind of clever turn, but when the ending finally came, the only satisfying feeling i was left with was the relief that the film was over.

Keatons character was somewhat solid at the beginning, but completely collapsed shortly into the movie. Fraser played his usual weak and insecure character and reached an all time low when trying to act tough at the end.

So if you are ever feeling the least bit good about yourself, please do not see this movie. It will bring you down like a rock.

Fysjom!

horrendous

[siavashv · 1/10 · 6 January 2008]

this is the worst movie i have ever seen. why in the world Michael Keaton would hurt his reputation to work on such a horrendous film, i have no idea. the writing was horrible, the acting was ridiculous, and the plot was so predictable and trite. i wish i could get those two hours back. what a waste of my life that was.

Brendan Fraser either has great roles in movies or the worst roles. this was definitely a wrong move for him. i don't know who the writer/director guy is, but he needs to get another job. i can't even tell you how stupid the script was. my wife and i were laughing at how trite the whole film was.

Excellent FILM

[trainacomin · 10/10 · 18 July 2007]

So many of Hollywood's most popular movies have become so painfully formulaic that 15 minutes into the thing, you can figure out who wins the girl, who loses his life and who gets what he deserves. This movie starts out that way but the ending caught me by surprise. I first saw this movie one week ago and as the days have passed, I continue to think about the ending and the story line. It's *that* good a movie.

It's also a thinking person's movie. Nothing explodes and no one's head rolls down a staircase and there's no blood and gore, but my oh my, is it a compelling story.

There are a lot of messages you can take away from this movie but the one that rings most true to me is a quote I heard many years ago from William Barclay (Bible scholar). He said that evil seeks to breech our spiritual fortress in our weakest places and in our strongest places and that we should be vigilant to guard those two "low spots." The other reason I loved this movie is it's about "every man" and each plot and sub-plot is very believable and has no discernible plot holes (as so many movies do). It's very well-written, well-acted and deliciously interesting. You may want to watch it twice, to make sure you miss nothing.

non-specificity

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 11 June 2016]

Ted Ryker (Michael Keaton) is the bitter acerbic top salesman in the New York office accounting for about 70% of the sales. Jamie Bashant (Brendan Fraser) is the new salesman claiming to be the top salesman in his Ohio office. The company product is inferior but their boss John Whitman keeps touting a revolutionary model is coming. The two go out on sales calls. Jamie struggles to make his first sale. He's planning to marry fiancée Belisa (Amber Valletta) and Ted has an eye on her.

There is a non-specificity to the product which leaves this feeling fake and unreal. It's also not unreal enough to be surreal. A lot of this feels fake (for a good reason). Jamie is so pathetic that it's unbelievable that he's a salesman of any worth in anywhere. The whole thing is oddly fake. Some of that unreality is explained in the twist but it's a bit too late. It never made sense that Ted and Jamie gets paired up as a sales team. I couldn't figure out why Ted is tied down with such a pathetic specimen. It was also odd that Ted never makes a sales in this movie. The central idea is intriguing but it needs to be executed with more realism.

Man Chick Flick

[bob-rutzel-1 · 2/10 · 2 September 2007]

Super Salesman Ted (Keaton) takes on a partner, Jamie (Fraser), to show him the ropes. Problems arise when Ted takes a liking to Belise (Valletta), Jamie's fiancée.

The beginning of this movie is weird, weird, weird. You have no idea where it's going and only the star power holds you. Why weird? Because of the way Jamie acts and you almost feel like shutting this down, but the star power still holds you. Yes, Fraser does go a little Bad George of the Jungle and this is where you are thinking of watching Lassie reruns. But, still the star power must be worth something so you stick with it. And, in time, it works, sort of. When things go this bad in a movie one must look for clues to find a way out of the mess. And, yes there were clues along the way, oblique ones , but there nevertheless.

I understand this movie went straight to DVD probably because the theaters would empty in 20 minutes and reputations would be ruined. When you get to the twist, maybe….. maybe it saves itself.

Advice to Michael Keaton: go back and play Batman or some legitimate thriller as this was really a chick flick with men doing the chick flick work. Not good. As for Fraser, he did some good work at the end of the movie and it was refreshing to see him act like an adult for a change. Need to see more of this side of him. Yes, he had to follow the script when he played the dufus, but we were the ones who had to watch him being a dufus. Not good.

Violence:No, Sex:Yes, Nudity: Yes, Language, Yes, non-stop

Awful

[kxoxbxi · 1/10 · 10 December 2007]

Awful. Shallow, transparent, and surprisingly uninspired acting from Keaton and Fraser. The fact that the story is centered around a couple of high-octane air-conditioner salesmen (or similar bland, fill-in-the-blank household product) trying to sound and act like Wall-Street brokers is laughable. Fraser is out of place with a comical performance as your overly-friendly, non-threatening neighborhood Midwesterner, while Keaton's dialogue filled with expletives every other sentence is empty and tasteless. Amber Valletta is simply eye-candy. Production looks cheap and the attempt at making New Orleans look like New York is poor. Straight-to-DVD movie for those that like to pretend to think without actually doing so.

The closer you look...

[ethan_murdoch · 9/10 · 17 February 2008]

~Possible Spoilers herein~

The Last Time represents a dramatic character reversal, inevitably a character study, as opposed to just another independent feature.

From the get-go, you don't really like Keaton's (Ted), the cocky, sarcastic, ambitious, and, worst of all, always right salesman. He knows all about his trade; what he's doing, and how he's doing it. Each moment we spend with him, however, we come to understand his nature. We dig to find his personal flaws, that which built the man portrayed before us.

In the opposite, we have Fraser (Jaime), a green salesman who was big news in his small town, then comes the big city. We've seen this formula before, true, but Brendan has always been able to lose the veracity of himself in his character. You could compare this to the way he interviews, and his commentary on The Mummy DVD. In fact, you tend to feel sorry for him in this particular role.

Finally, you have Valletta (Belisa), a housewife in complete support of her husband, going so far as to move to the big city with him so he may accomplish dreams so grand (hopes to start a family notwithstanding).

This is all well and fine, but think when you watch of how you feel toward them in the beginning versus how you end up feeling about them.

Ted turns out to be a very brilliant, but troubled, individual who's sole purpose in this job is not to crush others but actually to make as much money as possible. He was a professor, you see, highly successful at it due to his intelligence, but not altogether wealthy (a reason his wife decided to up and leave him). This chain of events propelled our man to move to the big city and prove his worth in this world. He attacks the forefront of sales under the disguise of confidence, but the soul of pain. Taking what he wants seems a primary motive, at first, until he meets Belisa, who renews in him that sense of purity and living. Though they begin and live an affair throughout, it would seem as true love. Ted, finally, is able to open up to someone and give his personality, not that guise that has guided him to her.

Which brings us to Belisa, who fronts the lie of a happy housewife. Her Jaime is focused on doing his best, but is failing miserably. So, his work stalks him in his personal life, hitting her full swing with the loss of love, and a renewed seek of interest. Enter Ted, that sure-of-himself professional who takes charge where needed. Thus, we begin the affair.

Back to Jaime, who we define as weak and afraid throughout. Someone, like I said before, we feel sorry for from the beginning primarily because we have all been there (starting out and not altogether sure of how). His lack of interest in his wife causes her to run to the arms of another man, and it seeps through as he knows she's going behind his back, but never to whom. He finds a fatherly figure in Ted, think of a son attempting all he can to win his father's respect, but never learned enough to do so. With the guilt of the affair, Ted feels sorry for the young man, and so assists him in any way possible.

This, again, is a fairly typical formula, but as I said, each character takes a complete 180 near the end.

We find Ted a poet by heart, and actually feel sorry for what happens to him. We find Jaime a conniving opportunist who knows full well how to manipulate others, and Belisa becomes the embodiment of (if this were a spy novel) a femme fatal.

I will not to spoil how this comes to light, as not to be the purpose of this review.

My intent is to give potential viewers a fair realization of what The Last Time is truly about, not what the surface will have you believe. If you walk into this thinking the overall production will be spectacular, disappointment will ensue. The music is not very well synthesized, the cinematography is average at best (but gets the point across), and the dialogue could've used a bit of strengthening.

However, the direction is remarkable, the characters believable and full circle, and the story is superb in terms of originality. Keaton and Fraser deliver Ted and Jaime in such a way that you forget they are acting after only a bit of time (in my opinion, Keaton begins in character and never ends, whereas Fraser had moments of similarity to his other works {although quite remarkable, nonetheless}), while Valletta gives a rich performance.

And, as I preemptively mentioned, all of these characters (including the supporting players {Daniel Stern especially}) oppose their first impression, which is how life really works this day in age. Actions govern personality, and vice versa.

Rent this when you are ready to watch a character study, along with clever storytelling, not when you want to see overly dramatic play upon your TV screen. For that, I recommend you start watching Lifetime or a good percentage of movie channel (HBO, Showtime, etc) original series.

A Misfire all the way

[jaybob · 4/10 · 3 February 2008]

THe Last Time misses the mark, It wastes the talent of Micheal Keaton & Brendan Fraser. Micheal Keaton is made to use the 'f' to many times & makes you hate his character even more. Brendan Fraser for nearly the entire film is a 'doofus'.He is redeemed at the end, (this is the only reason the rating is not lower.

The female role is attempted by an someone I never hear of or seen before. Amber Valletta. She is very pretty, BUT to be absolutely honest, a non-actress like Jessica Alba would have been better.

The story is very underwritten.

To be fair, This movie was supposed to be filmed in New Orleans, BUT Katrina chased them out of town, It was re-written & filmed in New York. They probably were over-rushed to finish the film & did not pay attention to the mess they created.

It was released to only a handful of theatres in 2007. It had a very short run in Los Angeles.

Ratings ** (out of 4) 52 points (out of 100) IMDb 4 (out of 10)

There are folks who like this film ???

[wthekiss2 · 2/10 · 9 February 2008]

My wife and I had just finished eating out. We were having a "date night" without the kids and picked this title up at the video store. Now, normally I like to do some research before I invest my time in a movie, but we were out by the store and I like Michael Keaton and Brendan Fraser, so I thought we were safe.

I was, sad to say, very, very wrong.

We snuggled up and began the movie, which is rated R. When the rating appeared at the beginning it mentioned "pervasive language." Okay...that was an understatement. There was so much cussing, particularly with the f-word, that it was totally distracting and basically just ridiculous.

But this was Keaton and Fraser so we pressed on a bit. I think we got about 30 minutes into it and both agreed that this would be 'the last time' we just pick up a movie without reading a little about it. The dialogue, the acting, the story...the whole thing seemed to be a joke. I kept wondering...'how does a guy like Michael Keaton end up in a movie like this? Didn't he read the script? Or was he that desperate for work?' Anyway, we stopped the madness and popped in a movie we own, City of Angels. Okay...now that is a movie. What an incredible difference. Watching those movies back-to-back made The Last Time seem like a high school production.

I am very disappointed. But it turns out I only threw away thirty minutes and $4.74, so it's not the end of the world.

My respect for these two actors, again whom I generally like a lot, has diminished significantly.

I would strongly recommend that you stay away from this movie.