The Last Man (2000) User Reviews

The Last man is dead last.

[mickster1267 · 3/10 · 4 April 2014]

So...the last man. Where to begin? Well, first off I would like to say that despite this film's very low ratings I was intrigued to watch it due to the premise. However, this film did not at all live up to it's potential what so ever.

To start, the characters don't go through any development at all and the conflict they're in is just dull and uneventful. It's generally just Alan being demeaning and passive aggressive to Raphael and Sarah telling him to be nicer to him. The conflict between Alan and Raphael is very poor much like their characters (especially Raphael, who is just a dumb blond man that's only defining feature is he is attractive and dumb). While having a character like that can maybe work when he's placed opposite an interesting character and we can see his interesting reaction, Alan himself is a poor character as well. He is very shallow, uninteresting and his only somewhat interesting characteristic is his fascination with the native tribe he studied before the apocalypse.

To add insult to injury, the acting ranges from very poor to just meh. Dan Montgomery Jr.(Raphael) is by far the worst actor in the film (but given the material, it's not hard to understand why). David Arnott (Alan) is OK but again, he's given hardly anything to work with. Jeri Ryan (Sarah) does a good job at the beginning as her character is easy to sympathize with but it's easy to see she is struggling with the awful material and so her performance suffers.

To make matters worse, everyone in the film is idiotic. Alan manipulates Raphael and Sarah to break up with one another so easily it's unbelievable. Their gullibility is through the roof. And the film's ending is just bleak and bland, not because it's sad, but because it just stops and the conclusion tells us nothing about the journey Alan has gone through or how he's changed. He's still the same uninteresting character.

This film doesn't even have the so bad it's good quality of The Room. It's just not quite that terrible or extreme enough and it doesn't try anywhere near as hard. It's just boring and lazy. The only interesting scenes are at the beginning where Alan plans on documenting his experiences and teaching the new race that will inhabit the earth what his civilization was like.

Overall the best way to summarize this movie is great premise, terrible execution. Avoid unless you're looking for an example of this kind of movie.

Awful. Don't waste your time

[amartin02135 · 1/10 · 4 February 2007]

I saw this movie in part because of some positive comments here on IMDb. After wishing I had those 90 minutes of my life back, I feel it's my duty to get on here myself and say...Please don't bother watching this movie.

I can't argue with the actors efforts - they did what they could given the material, but that material is dreadful. The pace was deadly - slow, meandering, and you saw everything coming about an hour away, and then it took forever to happen. The dialogue was boring, pointless, not funny at all. The characters were all completely unsympathetic. And the cinematography was, in my opinion, very low quality - the cliché of "character uses home video machine!" was used to very bad effect.

Yes, Jeri Ryan is a cool person. Don't let that sucker you into wasting your time on this film.

Comedy?

[ldw-eg · 2/10 · 12 April 2006]

After wasting 2 hours of my life watching this movie on late night television, I went back and reread some of the IMDb material, to remind myself of why I watched it in the first place. In hindsight, the only thing that I can think of is that the genre generally appeals to me. But this movie was a total waste of effort. It fails on every level, and to see that it's described on IMDb as a comedy really leaves me at a loss. I don't recall more than a couple of chuckles. There are more laughs in any episode of Law and Order than in The Last Man. Seriously.

Too much of the characters' interaction just didn't seem to me to have any foundation, and was therefore very unlikely/unbelievable.

If it hadn't been for the almost-gratuitous bikini shots, well, what can I say? Avoid this movie like the plague. Or tape it and just fast forward to the bikini shots. Do not spend even $1 to rent it though.

Wow

[uvl · 3/10 · 7 August 2005]

How do stories this bad get made. That's not a question. It is a statement.

Here are my problems with the film.

1) Much of the story development was predictable and boring. My emotions ran pretty much in a flat line throughout. There wasn't really much to draw the viewer into the film.

2) The characters were decidedly uncharismatic. One was a loon, another was confusing, and the third was pretty damned boring. There was absolutely zero reason to be drawn to these people. Even though I knew it wouldn't happen, I kept hoping that they would run into someone else, someone more interesting.

3) The physical environment was uncomfortable for me. A trailer??? In the desert??? The desert is a place that most people would prefer not to visit. How is it that these three people end up in the desert???

4) And in the same desert. Did the writer really expect me to believe that the last three people on Earth would manage to find each other within the span of a few weeks out in that desert?

5) Was it really necessary for Ms. Ryan to be in two scenes that required a swimsuit? Hey, she looks great, but it was pretty gratuitous.

Okay, so if I thought it was so bad, why did I give it a 3? I am trying to be as objective as possible. Even though I found Alan annoying, I have to say that David Arnott did a very credible job of portraying a neurotic nerd (the character reminded me of a few of Albert Brooks more annoying roles). Jeri Ryan tried to do something with Sarah, but it just wasn't written very well. Okay, so she was supposed to be a confused, dysfunctional woman. But why? What did it add to the story? Her mood swings left me feeling like I was being jerked (hard!) one way and then another and then another.

I don't often walk out on films, but this one had me contemplating it several times. Stiff, predictable, boring. Proceed at your own risk.

My 2 cents.

Smooth writing and directing

[tommyg · 8/10 · 14 March 2002]

I totally enjoyed the resourcefulness and cleverly successful writing and casting of this film. I suppose those words imply the appearance of a 'low budget' film -- but I will swing it in the other direction as the disappearance of a 'low budget' film into one that delivered an expertly crafted experience to the viewer.

My only complaint, if I am entitled one, would be the abrupt ending, as if one simply disconnected a video player before the ending.

But then, that was the point.

are they kidding?

[efh1737 · 1/10 · 12 April 2003]

The only reason I rented the movie was to see Jeri Ryan in it! OMG that was the most boring, pointless movie I've ever seen!!! HOW LAME!!! I mean really, give me a break! After Voyager, I'd hope she'd be offered better roles!!

If I were one of the last people on earth, I would NOT still be living in a travel trailer in the dessert!! This is just such a bad movie!! The thing about the indian tribe and how he compared it every 10 seconds really, really got old. Poor Jeri, better luck next time!

Not Original, Not Funny

[markgowdy · 26 April 2003]

For those people who have said "what an original movie"......NO! I saw the trailer and thought it looks like one of my faves (THE QUIET EARTH) and gave it a chance - what with my love for apocalyptic tales. Boring....unfunny....a really poor remake of a truly original, thought-provoking work of brilliance from New Zealand. I felt sorry for Jeri Ryan..... Spare yourself the boredom....rent THE QUIET EARTH if you like the premise, trust me it will be better than renting THE LAST MAN.

interesting

[[e-mail] · 1/10 · 30 August 2002]

Wow, umm this was a very, how to say it, different type of movie. It calls itself a comedy...but it wasnt really laught out loud funny at all. It was insane. If you are willing to accept that 3 people survive a calamity of a global scale, why not 4? or 5?.....and why did it suddenly end without anything happening??? They could have made this much better by simply having another element in the plot such as a dumpy female for the ugly dude or something.......zinc, riduculous....ahh



i dunno..watch it...it wasnt that bad.....sorta funny at times....i guess...

schneider

It's the end of the world as we know it ... and I don't feel fine.

[film-critic · 3/10 · 15 March 2007]

Hypothetical situations abound, one-time director Harry Ralston gives us the ultimate post-apocalyptic glimpse with the world dead, left in the streets, in the stores, and throughout the landscape, sans in the middle of a forgotten desert. One lone survivor, attempting to rekindle his sanity, takes food from the city to his bungalow in this desert. All alone, he hopes for more, but with nobody around, he is left with white underwear, and a passion for a local Indian tribe – until the discovery of a camera which opens up new doors and breaks the barriers of human co-existence. Alan, a man of the book, is left on Earth after an unknown disaster. Thinking he is alone, he begins living life his way – until, Jeri Ryan, appears (like she would in any dream) out of the woods, disheveled, and unhappy to find the final man alive to be ... well ... like Alan. Anyway, they try to co-exist, fail, get drunk, and before creating the ultimate dystopia, they run into Redneck Raphael (played by newcomer – Dan Montgomery Jr). Bonds are torn, confusion sets in, a couple becomes a third wheel, and the battle between physically inept nerd vs. brainless jock. Even with nobody left on the planet, it becomes a truth that even the darkest of human nature will arise.

Using a variable film technique, Ralston gives us a mediocre story based loosely on another film entitled "The Quiet Earth" (which I will be viewing next) oddly which he never gives any credit towards. With a borrowed story, I guess he does a decent job of reinterpreting it. His punch seems to be lacking at the beginning while Ralston tries to find his stride, borrowing yet again from other film director's techniques to attempt to find his own. He opens the film interestingly enough, but fails to answer any direct answers. Sure, the final days have arrived, but could there be a concise answer as to "how" or better yet "why" these select few survived. A spookier beginning would have led us stronger into a comical film. The juxtaposition would have been like "Shawn of the Dead", but instead left us feeling like we were watching a "made-for-TV" program. Listening to the audio commentary, I have respect for Ralston because he worked diligently to get this film made, and his passion nearly sells the film, but you could tell from his interaction with the cast that he wasn't as happy with his overall final product. There were mistakes, ones that he pointed out and others that he was ashamed to point out. While this does make for decent independent film-making, it sometimes feels cheap, and in Ralston's case, it was the latter.

I must admit, David Arnott's portrayal of Alan hooked me. He played that wimpy, school nerd, adult role very well. He was funny to both watch and listen to, and thus he became sympathetic to the viewer. He was a key player in keeping the film together, alas, I cannot say the same for the rest. This was Dan Montgomery's first film, and it was obvious – I mean – really really obvious. There were scenes in which I thought the cue card was about to come out and read the lines for him, perhaps even giving us a more realistic performance, but alas, it wasn't the case. Then there was Jeri Ryan. She pulled into her character near the end of the film, which to me, was the culmination of the entire piece of art. She goes from estranged unknown to bitter cranky insane girlfriend by the end. Confused? Again, she fell into her character by the end, giving us just a glimpse of what she could have probably done as her acting matured. Even as the commentary progressed, all that she contributed was a laugh, giggle, or "ohhh, look at that color" moment. While her beauty may sell tickets, one may want to consider knowledge to be just as beautiful. This was her first film, so can I be too harsh?

Overall, this film felt like it was missing something. I though the idea was strong – the premise that even with only a peppering of people remaining on the Earth the evil of human nature still exists. Jealousy cannot be killed by bacteria or bombs (maybe because it is consumed by zinc?) and we as a race will always want what we cannot have. Ralston is not a surprising director, his techniques are flawed and pre-used, but he does know how to make a low-budget comedy. I think our idea of "funny" is different, so that is why I couldn't find myself laughing at many of the bits he found "hysterical". His actors provided the level of acting needed for this film, which was lower than average. His film was loose, meaning that there were elements never quite explained or tackled (i.e. anything with wings survived?!?), which overall harmed the intensity of the film. This was a comedy, but it could have been much darker and much much funnier. For those thinking that Roger Avery was a huge element to this film, as we learn from their commentary, all he was there for was money – the was in essence, the bank for "The Last Man". Don't get your hopes up for any classic Avery moments.

Don't expect more from Ralston – and that is how I will end it.

Grade: ** out of *****

Not for Jeri Ryan fans

[Sam-953-169285 · 2/10 · 26 April 2015]

If you are a Jeri Ryan fan hoping to see her sexy, romantic, loving and/or intelligent then you will be disappointed. If you want to see a man begging to get some from her then this will be very satisfying. If you want to see her naked you will be disappointed. If you do not want to see her naked then this is very safe for you.

As others have said, Jeri Ryan and the other actors do the best they can with the material but there is not much here. It is very predictable. It is not funny or romantic. The woman does what you would expect a bimbo to do in such a situation. There is nothing profound about this story.

Well, what did you expect?

[hitchcockkelly · 3/10 · 25 January 2023]

As someone who would be the "chubby, socially inept" guy in this trio, the movie was painful to watch. What happens is exactly what you would expect to happen when an awkward, balding, potato-bodied man with a reluctant girlfriend who is ten levels out of his league is horned in on by a handsome, young stud. Jealousy not only destroys whatever hope he might've had for a normal relationship, he must also confront the fact that he isn't the detached intellectual he thinks he is. He is exactly the kind of person who destroyed the world. "Loser loses out" should be the headline for this film. Sometimes truthfulness isn't funny precisely because it is true.

Surprising and delightful. Well worth catching.

[claster · 10/10 · 30 January 2002]

Okay, so you're the last man on earth, and the last woman on earth is Jeri Ryan. What's not to like? Well, first of all, she's out of her mind. This film came as a wonderful surprise, and was completely enjoyable from start to finish. It's nicely paced, never drags, and is unpredictable throughout. Whoever this Arnott kid is, he's a complete hoot. I can't imagine anyone not liking this.

Cute, neat, sad, funny low-budget, thought-provoking flick.

[ghost-9 · 8/10 · 24 September 2004]

I watched this with my wife tonight and she couldn't understand why they would choose to live in a mobile home in the desert if they were the last people alive and could live anywhere they wanted. I said it was his home and he had all his stuff there. Also, whatever killed everyone might be more prevalent in the cities and the cities would reek of death. Your average home might have at least 3 or 4 bodies decaying in them which would leave most neighborhoods smelling pretty bad. And water and electrical services would tend to stop fairly soon after the collapse. But we all know that it was an inexpensive set and being out there, you didn't have to worry about people stumbling on to the set or planes flying by. I enjoy these kinds of movies with Vincent Prices' THE LAST MAN ON THE EARTH, and ON THE BEACH being dismal masterpieces about the end of civilization as we know it.

THE LAST MAN is more light-hearted than most of these types of films and the psychology here is good and believable, though the effects of being the last man are far better shown in the aforementioned films. This was a fun and intellectual waste of ninety minutes and better than most of the mindless drivel on t.v. like Big Brother, Blind Date and other crap programming that seems all the rage these days.

Disturbingly realistic

[aelfwyne · 8/10 · 26 June 2004]

The movie could have gone the way of cutesiness or played up the drama of the situation too much, or pulled on our heart strings, but it didn't.

Another commenter has said you might be offended if you are a "fat balding dufus", but this movie is about so much more than that. To say that, however, is to oversimplify the situation. This movie does justice to real human emotion. When he is the last man, she knows it will be hard, but tries to make things work. She seems irrational at times but ultimately is very rational. She is even willing to overlook the superficial faults of the first man when the second comes along.

Ultimately, it wasn't that he was a fat balding grad student and "rafael" was so much more attractive that caused her to make the decision she did. It was the grad student's obsessions and inability to deal with her as anything but a sex object that ultimately drove her away from him. Near the end, he almost sees himself for who he truly is, and even begins to speak it (comparing his situation to a saying of the Indian tribe he is obsessed with), but conveniently has forgotten the rest of the old saying, and misses realizing that their wisdom has a saying to describe just what he is. Instead, he blames others for his own fault.

I think the writers did an excellent job of being fair to all the characters here. Nobody in this movie ended up with anything less than they deserved, and they each had a chance to show who they really were. Even the "fat, balding dufus" had a chance to shine - he just passed it up out of jealousy and spite.

Excellent off beat comedy

[c1377 · 9/10 · 4 May 2005]

This film is a dead ringer. Had all the actors performed as well as the main character, I would vote this a film of the year.

Such expert use of thematic elements and excellent story telling is a rarity in comedy films. I can't recall ever laughing so hard at a scenes without dialog or having seen humour set up so completely with juxtaposition and other thematic/story telling elements. The writer/director must have had a liberal arts education. I won't be surprised if this film is remade in Hollywood, it's that exceptional.

The 2 audio commentaries add to the aura of this already excellent film, with intelligent and funny behind the scenes dialog.

A cute and clever look at mismatched relationships.

[duckbutter · 9/10 · 11 July 2000]

What if you were one of the few people left on Earth, and you found a lone hot chick and you were a sloppy balding dufus? That is the premise of The Last Man. Witty writing and painfully true characters make this film a unexpected treat. But one warning, if you are that fat, balding dufus, you will be miserable through out the film.

A smart funny forgotten gem

[Spriggan · 10/10 · 23 November 2002]

This movie is one of the best i've ever seen. Forget about the stupid big budget film of the week, this is an original script, with good setting and an innovative approach to low budget film making. The lead actor is great but the best thing about this movie is it's great story and script, which live up to its premise.

Thought provoking and funny...

[lenimail · 9/10 · 3 January 2008]

I am not a film critic like many others around here seem to be but I really do think that this movie tackles some interesting issues about human behavior, e.g. how the concept of rational detachment would definitely benefit human society yet our emotions somehow always get in the way and prevent us from "getting along" (see past and current conflicts in this world we live in as examples for this in my humble opinion very accurate theory... ; ). In addition to that at least two of the characters are definitely in need of some serious therapy which leads to many hilarious scenes which made me laugh and had me wanting to give them a hug at the same time : ).

I also want to recommend the first audio commentary with the three "main" (well, there is hardly anyone else in that movie : ) actors and the director/writer to anyone who owns the DVD; I cracked myself up when they are talking about shaved vs. unshaved body parts, other parts that should have been shown to earn another million at the box office and the like ; )! One funny bunch of people! They also reveal some interesting tidbits about cut subplots that would have added some more depth to the story/characters - so there's another reason to check the commentary out : ).

In short I really enjoyed the movie: It got me thinking and made me laugh at the same time...

Classic Humor

[ashroosta · 9/10 · 12 May 2003]

It's a great example of a film that uses situation and hijinks to create humor instead of the recent wave of gross-out or slap-stick comedies. Not that this is better or worse, just different and unique.

The script is wonderful. The acting is wonderful. The premise is fabulous and the movie is well worth the effort you'll have to put out to find it.

The premise is a chubby, balding, middle-aged, anthropologist geek is the last man on earth until one day he finds a megahot babe. (She's a bit off her rocker, but he can look past that.) Everything's pretty sweet for him until they run into a good-looking but not-so-bright, younger dude and anthropology-geek's good fortune comes crashing down in a wave of jealousy and isolation.

Hijinks and situation make this film truly great and unique.

If you were the last man...

[Irish-32 · 3 March 2002]

Banal, unfunny musing on post-apocalyptic schlephood, brightened only by the appearance of the always-photogenic Jeri Ryan. Slick production value can't disguise the trite premise. If you were the last man on earth and this was the last movie, you might take up solitaire.

A movie that gives you something to think about

[srdjan_veljkovic · 8/10 · 2 January 2016]

This is an interesting movie. It is obviously done on a low budget, but, it is a work of art. As such, it gives you something to think about, more than it poses some fundamental questions or tries to answer them. Especially for a this type of story, it feels very relatable.

There are many low budget movies that try something like this, but most fail.

It is not perfect, of course. But, even its imperfection is kind of nice and makes it feel more relatable.

One of the interesting things to find out is that Jeri Ryan can actually act. It seems a pity that she didn't get a chance to do that more often, but was reduced to "let's put this beautiful and sexy woman in there to attract the viewers". In fact, her beauty is an integral part of the story, so it's not even one of those "let's show everybody that this beautiful woman can act (and/or may look much less beautiful)".