Last Orders nurtures the multi-layers of its characters, allowing us to remember that life's ultimately a gamble and last orders are to be embraced. It's affecting, amusing, sad and reflective.
Comment
07/04/02
Last Orders (2002)
78
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:82
Fresh:64
Rotten:18
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: With a cast that includes some of the best acting talent in Britain, Last Orders is a rewarding character-driven ensemble piece.
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Dramas
US Box Office: $2,197,234
Synopsis: Fred Schepisi's adaptation of Graham Swift's prize-winning novel is a quietly graceful portrait of four working-class Brits, bound by years of friendship, that unites some of England's finest... [More]
Starring: Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, David Hemmings, Bob Hoskins
Director: Fred Schepisi
Reviews for Last Orders
Top CriticEven these old pros ... fail to lift a leaden balloon of a movie.
01/26/02
This lovely, sad movie made me feel as if I was in the car with these old friends, and it filled my heart.
03/03/02
Finely crafted, admirably ambitious in design and fueled by uniformly delicious performances by its cast of old pros.
02/28/02
The carload of codgers in Fred Schepisi's Last Orders merely bellyache, philosophize, crack unfunny jokes, and ruminate simplemindedly about Death.
02/12/02
Exactly the kind of movie adults are wishing for when they complain nobody makes movies for adults anymore.
03/05/02
The film, like its characters, is limited by a provincial self-absorption.
05/30/02
Portrays the unvarnished nature of friendships: mean and spiteful, petty and begrudging, needy and loving.
06/07/02
Schepisi's fine screen adaptation of the Booker Prize-winning novel is a sterling drama about four Englishmen who make a pilgrimage with the ashes of their departed buddy.
01/15/02
If only Schepisi didn't spend the movie pulling his punches and pouring on the phony uplift, Last Orders could have been a contender.
06/05/02
Sad but satisfying.
05/10/02
There's been no richer cinematic tapestry of humanity so far this year.
03/08/02
Like most trips to bountiful, end of the line pilgrimages make for winsomely plodding fare.
02/26/02
You’d think a movie with Bob Hoskins, Michael Caine, Helen Mirren and Tom Courtenay couldn’t be all bad, but you’d be wrong.
08/11/02
A subtly powerful drama that finally tells us that not only is death not the end, sometimes it makes for new beginnings.
01/10/02
A beautiful movie about everyday people that seem so real they could be your neighbors. It's like being invited round to the pub for a couple of pints with some mates.
06/07/02
By film's end one feels as if they have indeed taken a long trip with these people -- and along the way has grown to know and care about them.
12/08/02
Because I share history and memories with these actors, it is easy to stand at the bar with their characters as they regard the urn of ashes.
03/01/02
Top CriticSchepisi successfully fashioned a tight and bittersweet two-hour script from Graham Swift's multi-character, Booker Prize-winning novel.
02/14/02
For the most part, Last Orders avoids tear-jerking and grand emotional revelations.
03/15/02
Latest News for Last Orders
June 24, 2005:
Lions Gate Digs Into "The Descent"
Neil Marshall, director of the resoundingly popular cult flick "Dog Soldiers," has struck a deal with Lions Gate to distribute his next movie in North America, says... More...
February 06, 2002:
Schepisi offers a brave and endearing account of four men grieving the loss of their best friend. 
More...
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