Last Orders (2001)

Just look at the cast and you know this is likely to be a film that will entertain you: Michael Caine, two Oscar wins (The Cider House Rules, The Quiet American, and one BAFTA win (Educating Rita), with numerous nominations; Tom Courtenay, two BAFTA wins (A Rather English Marriage, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner) and many BAFTA and Oscar nominations; Bob Hoskins, BAFTA for Mona Lisa, and many more nominations; Helen Mirren, Oscar and BAFTA for The Queen, BAFTAS for Prime Suspect 1,2 and 3, and many more nominations; David Hemmings, and Ray Winstone.That is an ensemble that works, and works well, indeed.Things done, and not done over the years of the lives of friends, and what is important and what is not. A great reflective story.

This stellar ensemble cast under the directorship of Fred Shepisi hits the metaphorical jackpot in this story of long-time mates disposing of one of their own's ashes. Warmth, humanity, humor et al. permeate the atmosphere of this realistic, yet sensitive story.To me, Mr. Hoskins' role stands out just a tad from the rest, as he is, in no small part, the main facilitator in this film: he always seems to be in the right place at the proper time, especially at the track! Although not in the boys' club of disposing of the ashes, Helen Mirren's role here is more subtle and indirect, yet crucial as the deceased's (Michael Caine) wife who opts not to go along with the boys for the final ride. Her understated yet forceful portrayal here is one of her finer pieces of work, especially noted in her scenes with her mentally challenged daughter. M. Caine is his usual cad self, somewhat like an aged "Alfie" who likes his bantering with the birds at the pub (and at the hospital!), but unlike "Alfie", he won't make plays for them! The rest of the group of the boys carrying out the "Last Orders" provide more than ample thespian talent, not only in their individual roles, but also in how each relates to the group as a whole. The cast of the "flashback" scenes of yore does equally well in laying out the dramatic foundation for the modern day sequences.Some say the total is greater than the sum of the individual parts, especially when dealing with the synergy of talents and overall heart as manifested in this production. It's all about heart, baby, and there's plenty here to go around. Cheers!

This movie was shown on a public TV network (TVO) in Ontario Canada tonight. I was apprehensive about it, because I thought the book was very, very good and movies... well you know what I am getting at.To make it worse, our local TV listings gave the movie only 2 out of 4 stars.Well certainly the movie deserved 3 out of 4 stars, 2 is a travesty. I thought they did a very good job with regards to the story that was in the book, with one exception perhaps regarding the money that was won for the wife (I haven't read the book in a while, maybe I forgot something about that).Certainly the cast was outstanding, I would watch Helen Mirren reading a phone book, but her part wasn't that big, but Hoskins, Hemmings, Caine and Courtenay were all great.I can't wait to re-read the book, which is saying a lot in favour of any movie.

How very strange to have a film such as Last Orders, a film that has its themes and its content revolve around death, loss and nostalgia and yet still manage to remain uplifting; positive, even. Last Orders is one of those films that covers a lot of ground in a two hour timeframe; it's sort of what Forrest Gump would have been like if Forrest Gump had had masses of friends and buddies to hang around with as his own life unfolded. But don't think I'm comparing films here because whilst Last Orders is great in its own retrospect, Forrest Gump remains the pinnacle of this sort of genre.I suppose Last Orders is to 'death' as Reservoir Dogs is to 'heist'. The idea that you get a load of male characters (although Helen Mirren's Amy plays a sort of important role); have them situated close to all but one place for the past tense scenes but now and again, showing the repercussions of said death/heist event in the present tense. While Reservoir Dogs' flashback scenes covered a whole range of locations, Last Orders fixes on a public house for the scenes in which all the characters are together but in order to understand more and more about them the film delves deeper into the past; much like Reservoir Dogs did with the Mr. Orange character – showing us how the development of friendship and trust became apparent. Added to this, Last Orders in the present tense beds down in one locale; a moving vehicle as they travel to a pier in order to carry out the dead man's final wish – parallels to Reservoir Dogs and the warehouse can be made here where, arguably, the most intense moments of clashing egos and best examples of dialogue float to the surface.But Last Orders isn't trying to be Forrest Gump or Reservoir Dogs, in my opinion two of the 1990s greatest films. No, Last Orders is a different beast; a tale of friendship and life that is pushed to an apparent breaking point even when the man has gone. It seems funny how with a cast like Hoskins, Caine, Mirren, Hemmings and Winstone one can be so easily attracted to the actors and actresses who play the characters in decades gone by. JJ Field does a superb job as a young Jack (Caine) as does Kelly Reilly with Amy (Mirren); what's more, there is an added sense of nostalgia when Anatol Yusef portrays a young Ray (Hoskins) when really it seems like he is playing Hoskins himself from times gone by – you cannot help but smirk in appreciation. Even though the film plays out with one of its main characters actually dead throughout the entire piece, what makes Last Orders so successful? Well, it gets across a feeling of nostalgia; a feeling of time gone by. Secondly, it gives us these characters who we have seen many times before in films of a different genre; maybe even on a television drama if you're from Britain but it injects heart and soul into any usual stereotypes you might have expected.In order to break away from tired clichés or familiar archetypes, Last Orders develops almost all of its characters through out their respective lives. There are instances when Ray is tempted to engage in an affair with Jack's wife Amy; there are other instances that seem almost irrelevant: Ray's daughter marrying an Australian and moving away and Jack's son Vince wanting to follow a path in the mechanical trade rather than the butcher trade. Although these seem like mere formalities, they are actually extremely important plot points in these respective people's lives with the genius of it to follow: they all deal with loss of some sort. If Ray and Amy have an affair, Jack looses out; if Vince wants to become a mechanic against his fathers wishes then the '& sons' tag to the business is rendered false; if Ray's daughter wants to marry and move to the other side of the world, Ray and his wife loose their daughter on a certain level. But one persons loss is another persons gain: Ray's daughter has found love; Vince has found a career he loves and Ray has found love to a certain degree with Amy, even if it is at a friend's expense. This is where the film's main level of loss is challenged: When it is made apparent after five minutes it is the character of Jack that is dead, nobody wins but everybody looses. Thus, the ensuing road trip is everybody banded together to deal with the event.With the film's theme and consensus loss, it is no surprise tiny references are made apparent all the way through the journey. The lads visit a war memorial in a park to celebrate the 'loss' of life in the war; when walking through the cathedral, Vince talks about how interesting it is to have all the 'dead' kings and queens 'buried' in amongst the walls; there is even mention of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs – harking back to times of old and great people who are now dead, echoing Jack and his life. Even stranger, what do we learn ourselves about Jack during the film? He is a womaniser who seemed carefree and outlandish; a man who wanted his son to do what he did and got angry when he didn't but despite Jack seeming like the least likable person of the group of lads, it is his death that has brought everyone together in a celebration of life above all other things. Last Orders is clever and engaging with a narrative that will entertain and may well have even pulled at some emotional strings by the time the obligatory scene arrives – that itself is an achievement.