The Last Time (2006)

"The Last Time" is full of surprises.Sharply made and keenly observed, the story is about salesmen and it's a thriller. I prefer it to "Glengarry Glen Ross", which it resembles in some ways. It has quite a tricky plot and I'm not going to give too much away - one of its joys is the twist in the tail.Ted Ryker (Michael Keaton), a tough, cynical but highly successful salesman for a business machine company takes on rookie salesmen, Jamie Bashant (Brendan Fraser), to teach the ropes. It proves difficult as Jaimie seems to have little aptitude for sales, and the threat of dismissal hangs over the whole sales team if they don't meet their quarterly quota. However when Ted meets Jamie's fiancé, Belisa (Amber Valetta), it sets in motion a chain of events that takes the story in a direction you don't expect.The film is engrossing as Ted and Jamie attempt to gain customers. There are painful encounters at conferences and in boardrooms, which anyone who has ever been in that position can relate to. The most wince-inducing is when they turn up for an appointment, only to be eventually greeted by the junior assistant of the guy they were meant to see, who then asks them to do the presentation right there in the foyer.Keaton is perfect for this role: brashness, cynicism and aggressiveness are qualities he has portrayed before, but towards the end he delivers a character whose mask has been stripped away revealing vulnerabilities; it's almost painful to watch. I've never rushed to Michael Keaton's movies, but "The Last Time" changed my mind all together. This really is his movie.Brendon Fraser is good and has plenty of screen time, but it's Amber Valetta who is the other arresting presence in the film, you can believe the serious impact she has on Keaton's character.This is a sleeper and is definitely worth seeking out. The ending is harsh, but also contains a positive note. As it finished I couldn't help thinking of Nietzsche's famous line, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger".

There are movies which break through the barrier of being really awful to become hugely watchable and enjoyable (see "The Room"). Unfortunately The Last Time does not quite get to that point –it remains just awful.Ultimately an interesting plot premise *** SPOILER ALERT *** how to buy a company on the cheap to get its IP, *** this movie fails in the execution. Meaning the script writing, the direction and the acting. Add in the inconsistencies (Michael Keaton's character, turns from vicious high testosterone sales shark to soulful, poetic ex literature professor with sad eyes) and awful dialog (they could have trimmed 20 minutes off the movie by just editing out the word "c***su**er" from all of the salesmen's dialogs).One to forget - can I have my time and neurons back please ?

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.

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!