| THE LAST SHOT |
 2004 - USADirector: Jeff Nathanson
- Reviewed by Jennifer
It's a dark day when the likes of Alec Baldwin and Matthew Broderick can make a movie that falls under the radar. I was all excited to see The Last Shot—the clips looked funny, Ebert and Roeper liked it, and I just so happen to love Alec and Matthew. My friend and I made plans to go on opening day, and then—nothing. It opened in one rat-hole theater about 45 minutes away. Eventually it fell off the map, and for months it was as though it never existed. There wasn't so much as a rumored DVD release date. What happened?! And don't even tell me that Alec Baldwin and Matthew Broderick aren't on the A list anymore—I may just lose my will to live. I would like to report that The Last Shot is a wonderful film that suffered a terrible injustice, but, alas, it is only mediocre. Even so, that didn't stop the horribly sappy Ladder 49 from invading theaters like... like fire around the same time. Life imitated art in the cruelest of ways for The Last Shot, a film based on the true story of an ill-fated movie produced by the FBI for the sole purpose of nailing John Gotti for racketeering. Alec plays Joe Devine, the FBI agent turned producer, and Matthew plays Steven Schats, the desperate screenwriter who unwittingly falls victim to his scheme. He truly believes his lifelong dream is coming true, even though there are odd stipulations attached to the production. Why, for instance, must they film a movie called Arizona in Providence? The local landfill really doesn't look that much like the desert, but he tries to have faith. The enthusiasm is infectious, and even Pat Morita signs on for a role. It's actually quite endearing the way everyone puts their hearts into this doomed project. As always, Alec's comic timing is dead-on, and he and Matthew complement each other nicely. When Steven asks Joe if his wife was in the business (meaning movie), Joe gives him a steely look and says, "Now why would I marry a whore?" Ah, if only the entire movie were so full of gems! Matthew is great as the bewildered innocent, and it is amusing watching Alec try to make his ever-changing story believable. Calista Flockhart plays Steven's dog-hating girlfriend, Joan Cusack recycles her performance from Where the Heart Is, and Toni Collette plays the "nominated" actress who stars in Arizona in an attempt to revive her career. We've even got Tim Blake Nelson (ew), Tony Shaloub, and Buck Henry, so there's plenty of talent to power the movie. Unfortunately, there's not much to be said about something that never really came off in the first place. The end result is a kind of Chris Farley story: "Um, remember that time when I thought we were making a movie, and you really started to believe you might release it, but then Ray Liotta showed up and made us stop? Member that? I was just wondering if you remembered that." It's nice to think about, but there's not much point. Still, it doesn't seem fair that The Last Shot wasn't given the opportunity to misfire in wide release. If the title is any indication, we won't be hearing about this movie-making fiasco ever again. |
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