LAST CALL

 

The world has seen plenty of films like Last Call, where a successful businessman travels back to his old neighbourhood for one reason or another and tries to connect with old friends, family members and even old flames. They do often blend into one unless there is something exceptional about them but does Last Call possess anything that makes it stand out from the rest?

Mick (Jeremy Piven), a successful real estate developer, returns to his old Philly neighbourhood and must decide to raze or resurrect the family bar.

It's safe to say Jeremy Piven has found it hard to move away from being typecast as the fast-talking irritant since the success he found on HBO's Entourage as the super-agent Ari Gold. To be fair, it's a role he was great in and I found him to actually be the best character on the show so why not keep the act up, like a lot of actors do throughout their careers. The problem here is that Piven is head and shoulders above everyone else in this cast, save for Bruce Dern who doesn't even get enough to do, and it really does show.

It's all good and entertaining watching Piven do his usual routine but when there isn't much going on around him performance wise it makes the film quite a pain to sit through. It really doesn't help either when the characters are as generic as they come.

In fact, in answer to my earlier question as to whether Last Call could do enough to stand out from other films of this ilk, it sadly doesn't at all. The writing and direction of the film feels flat throughout, meaning that the emotional moments it does try to conjure up don't work to any extent.

Overall, Last Call is nothing to shout home about at all, Jeremy Piven being just about the only thing worth watching it for and, if you didn't like Piven as Ari Gold, you won't find much enjoyment here.

Verdict: ★