Last Call (I) (2021) User Reviews

Below any expectations

[exisce · 4/10 · 20 March 2021]

An insipid, uninteresting, disappointing movie lacking in almost every department. The writing is absolutely useless, there is no development whatsoever for any of the characters. Love line (or what it really meant to be) is highly implausible, Piven and Manning have below zero chemistry together. Honestly, it's so bad, it's ridiculous. The weird condition, which was for some unimaginable reason assigned to the protagonist, kept to be reiterated in several scenes for no reason at all. Lots of drunk people talking rubbish, and that's it. No wonder the actors looked like they were bored to even be on set.

I give it four stars just because I like stories of saved neighborhoods, and "Last Call" could have been so much better had the makers put a little more effort in it. I say, re-watch "Two-Weeks Notice" instead, don't waste your time and money on this one.

Slow

[eagleowlknight · 4/10 · 22 March 2021]

Was excited to watch this film as I grew up in Upper Darby PA where this film was based on. But the plot never took off, was really slow and disjointed and was hard for me to connect with any of the characters. As it ended, I found myself asking what just happened and it can't be over - as the story never really materialized. It was semi-entertaining at times and had a few laughs, but wasn't really ever engaged with it.

Lazy

[ferdinand1932 · 4/10 · 23 March 2021]

Stereotypes are true but to be avoided because they do not offer fresh perspectives, rather they present fixed views that coddle our expectations. Using the familiar return story, this movie exploits every stereotype it in almost every degree.

We have the cranky father, the old band of friends, the various women (this is mostly a male tale told from the male angle); economic hardship, career and ambition disappointments and many passing shots of houses and streets that would not grace a glossy lifestyle magazine.

Along with those tired contextual clichés we have the representation of working class men as horny, hard-drinking and unlikely to reach any form of maturity. They have scant lives besides benders and laughing drunkenly in their endless pursuit of male bonding. Such fixed and narrow representations of other social groups usually cause anger but perhaps this cohort are phlegmatic about such things.

To use a phrase, It is what it is, and if this story with its good intentions and able cast of actors seems worth the time, then so be it. Don't look for much above the prosaic.

Very disappointed....

[bmwgser · 2/10 · 26 March 2021]

As a former resident of Upper Darby and a UDHS graduate, I was very disappointed in this movie. If this group of characters typify current residents with no jobs, incessant drinking, and childish games while living in a seemingly run-down neighborhood, I'm happy to be a former resident. The plot was woefully under-developed and the dialogue was at times hard to follow. Manning's character at one time said that they'd been working to revitalize the neighborhood for years but the visuals showed no evidence of that which found me rooting for Piven's character's casino project. Like others, I would have preferred to see the movie shot in Upper Darby with actual locals like Bradley Cooper and Tina Fey starring. Heck, how can you do a movie about Upper Darby without a single shot of the 69th Street shopping area???

Worst Script Ever

[ashannon-20559 · 1/10 · 26 March 2021]

I can't believe I spent money to watch this movie. I'm no movie critic, but this had to be the worst screenplay ever submitted to any movie studio! Who approved this?? Zero plot, zero character development, zero humor. Seriously, very unlikeable characters. Whoever is giving positive reviews has to be related to the so-called writer or director. Really bad movie.

Useless

[pat-797-869015 · 1/10 · 20 March 2021]

A totally useless film. The actors are blameless, especially since they have to play despite the absence of a script. It's a real waste of time and a deep boredom.

A Pointless Non-Comedy

[alexandermichaels-17778 · 1/10 · 20 March 2021]

The audience seems to be divided into two camps: Friends and family of the director and/or cast, who shamelessly give this "movie" a 10, and everyone else, most of whom begrudgingly give it a 1, because ZERO is not an option. Jeremy Piven should have taken Ari Gold's advice to Vincent and read the script before taking this gig. But maybe he couldn't, because THERE WAS NO SCRIPT. Just bad improvisation. His character sums it up perfectly near the end of this arduous slog: "The fish stinks from the head down." Everything about Last Call stunk. Originally titled, Crabs In A bucket, I think someone realized that the plot, such as it is, didn't really reflect a grasp of the metaphor. But changing the title was merely putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. What they really needed to do here was write a script. Cobbling together a collection of drunken montages punctuated by cringe-inducing ad-libbing and bad Irish accents is not comedy, it's painful. The actors, from Jeremy Piven on down seem completely lost in the absence of both written dialogue and direction. This would have been cheaper and much funnier to just point a camera inside a real life bar. And far less insulting to a viewing audience.

Wow!

[Nac89 · 21 March 2021]

I'm from Delco. This movie made us look like trash! So hard to watch! They could have at least filmed in Delco at the real locations. I guess bc they couldn't book Bradley Cooper- they had to film in New Jersey! Too bad, we were all so excited for this movie!

Don't Watch!

[nategotti76 · 1/10 · 1 March 2022]

I got about 20 minutes in and said enough. That's 20 minutes I will never get back. I guess Piven needed some money. Truly awful. I'm surprised he would even do this one.

Last Call

[turtleloverules · 7/10 · 11 January 2022]

If you are from or visited the tri-state area in the late 80's - early 90's when the Eagles football team was exciting and before most people were on hard drugs , your local watering hole and barber shop were just as sacred as church. This was a good time capsule movie.

Stick with your day jobs

[fitzclan-02344 · 1/10 · 24 April 2021]

Growing up in Delco, I was looking forward to seeing this movie. It was so bad we actually couldn't make it to the end. The story line had such potential but it's painfully obvious that having the money to invest in such a venture does not mean there's any actual talent to do so. I've filmed better high school plays on my camcorder when my kids were younger. Whoever said Pivens should fire his agent was spot on. And the friends/family 10 star reviews are actually comical - and oh so Delco. Hey at least someone is helping to foot the bill for this flop. Rocky Balboa would be mortified.

Great Comedy with an immense heart

[berggayle · 10/10 · 21 March 2021]

Just saw this in an actual movie theater. Great gem of a film with a dynamic cast that captures the ethos of a dying neighborhood racing toward an abyss of gentrification. Real and relatable on a blue collar working class level that celebrates roots, family and friendship without being overtly sentimental. The comedy lives and breaths in the characters that inhabit this brick and mortar world of memories, family and perseverance. Great performances by Jeremy Piven, Jack McGee and Taryn Manning as well as an extremely talented ensemble cast. So worth a watch.

Funny but sloppy

[bgottlieb-32953 · 6/10 · 2 January 2022]

I don't know how to add a "goof" but they went from Pleasantville to Asbury Park to Stone Harbor, and the girl said she was supposedly going to be in Sea Isle City. Anyone who knows the Jersey Shore would know that this is inconsistent.

Writer should stick to building townhomes

[Rock557438 · 1/10 · 28 March 2021]

Worst film ever made. No plot awful writing. Shocked that Jeremy Piven would be associated with this film.

Terrible

[david-bradley-6-217052 · 1/10 · 6 April 2021]

Felt like Grown ups on a budget with trash writing and no character development at all.

Closing Time For Last Call

[jdaly-80670 · 1/10 · 20 March 2021]

This movie would have been a lot better had anyone taken the time to review the script before filming. Truly an unfunny, uninspired, unremarkable film. Jeremy Piven should fire his agent.

Nailed it!!!

[imoreno-08931 · 2/10 · 10 January 2022]

This movie takes me back to when I lived in Philly..........and reminds me why I left. Some of the scenes with Philly landmarks were cool. It was the only reason I watched about 5 minutes of the movie before changing the channel. Can't imagine who would spend money to see this at the theater.

Must NOT see!

[Michaelwalbright54 · 1/10 · 22 March 2021]

This was an idiotic and mindless attempt to duplicate a typical Hallmark themed movie. Add in a horrible script, bad acting/actors and at best a cloudy plot and outcome made this film incredibly hard to watch. Being born and raised in Upper Darby I can say this film in an attempt to stereotype Upper Darby and its residents falls criminally short! This movie also discredits all the fine independent films normally presented thru IFC!

Not Good

[donaldl-22302 · 1/10 · 25 March 2021]

One of the worst movies I have seen in a long time.

This was made why?

[On_The_Mark · 2/10 · 22 September 2021]

What is that thing on Jeremy Piven's head? He was going bald in the '90s yet with each TV and movie appearance he's got more and more "hair" but I'm not sure what that is on there now. Weave or wig?

Either way, Piven is a good actor but seems to play basically the same character in everything. This is no different. In fact everyone in this is a good actor. There is no real script to speak of. It's boring as hell. Clearly lots of improv and not the good kind.

Hard to get through this. Not sure why it was made. And you just can't watch Piven, again, a good actor, without staring at whatever that is on his head. There is nothing wrong with going bald, not sure why guys like Piven and Billy Bob try to hide it.

A Funny and Nostalgic Movie

[kathiecarpenter · 10/10 · 21 March 2021]

I really had a great time watching Last Call. It reminded me of one of those Movies they do not make. Funny and Raunchy with lots of heart. Jeremy Piven gives an excellent performance and Taryn Manning does a good job also. My favorite part was the assortment of people who made up thr supporting cast that really supply the laughs. Wait until the final Credits because there is a hilarious part with Bruce Dern.

Not sure who this was made for...

[Jblum5 · 2/10 · 15 December 2021]

I enjoyed Jeremy Piven's early career a good deal , I consider "The Goods" to be one of my favorite comedies of this century, and his performances are always a standout. So in that vein I was excited to check out this film and it was a giant swing and miss.

This is not funny enough to be a comedy. The jokes in it are limited to bar banter and reused sex jokes. Situations aren't funny it's a lot of people yelling at each other honestly. It also isn't dramatic or realistic enough to be a drama. The entire plot makes no sense by the end of it, and there really isn't much of a plot to begin with.

Piven is not good here. He is given so few jokes and jokes they do not play to his strengths. The rest of the cast minis Taryn Manning ( who is quite good here) also falls flat.

The one thing I can give this film credit for is it's depiction of small town life. As someone who grew up in a small town and left ... they really left the warts in of what it's often like. Disrespectful conversation, sense of community ect. Not enough to save the film , it's bad, but I appreciated them not hollywooding it.

One word - BAD

[cjsdrum007 · 2/10 · 23 January 2022]

I wanted to like this before watching and after reading the description, but - it was just bad. Really bad. I like the cast in general although Piven was miscast in this role. The writing was atrocious and I could never get into the movie while watching it. I finished it solely because I wanted it to get better, but it never did. Severely disappointing to say the least. To anyone reading these reviews before/while watching this movie don't watch it or shut it off and watch something else. Almost anything else.

All I could remember were Irish drunks...

[panta-4 · 4/10 · 20 March 2021]

Paolo Pilladi is a director who made a movie with very good actors using a story with lots of potential and a camera work which was quite good... so why the movie felt so flat? Almost like making a cocktail in The Bucket which does not taste well because something is missing, but I cannot pinpoint what!

I really liked the social impact of the story mixed up with the personal drama but all I could actually remember from watching it were the scenes where Irish guys live their dreams through wasted time of drunkenness!

Don't waste your time

[denlloyd · 1/10 · 21 March 2021]

I wanted to love this movie. My wife and I grew up in the area. But try as we might, the movie was terrible. Where was the plot? Even the actors didn't seem to know what was supposed to be happening. The characters were impossible to like, almost everyone portrayed a disgusting person no one with any decency would waste five minutes caring what happened to them.

It portrayed a place no one living there would recognize, filled with a bunch of losers spending their time drinking, and moaning about how bad they had it in life. So skip the glowing reviews from the actor's families and watch anything else you can find.