|
Last Night
| Released |
3 June 2011 |
| Director |
Massy Tadjedin |
Starring
|
Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes, Griffin Dunne, Guillaume Canet |
| Writer(s) |
Massy Tadjedin |
Producer(s)
|
Christophe Riandee, Massy Tadjedin, Nick Wechsler |
| Origin |
United States, France |
| Running Time |
90 minutes |
| Genre |
Drama, romance |
| Rating |
12A |
|
|
Night of the living dead.
Pity poor Sam Worthington. On Pandora he was king. Removed from his human form and surrounded by James Cameron’s Ferngully fantasies in Avatar, he managed to passably carry a movie; albeit while playing second fiddle to some enigmatic plant-life. Judging by the evidence of Massy Tadjedin’s quiet directorial debut Last Night, playing a regular human being doesn’t come as easily to him. Redefining the term wooden, Worthington’s expression never varies from one that he probably thinks shows intensity but in fact floats halfway between anger and confusion, like he’s trying to work out some particularly difficult long division. He even makes Keira Knightley look animated in comparison.
The pair play Joanna and Michael; an unlikable married couple with barely one personality between the two of them. She a writer and he an architect, they live that bland aspirational New York life of canapés and trendy loft space with exposed brickwork. Over one night, the strength of their relationship is tested when Michael goes on a business trip with an attractive co-worker (Eva Mendes) and Joanna runs into an ex-lover (Guillaume Canet).
So the scene is set for a grown-up tale of sexual tension, guilt and infidelity but thanks to a distinct lack of chemistry between the four actors involved it quickly becomes tedious. Only Canet manages a hint of charisma, making the scenes he shares with Knightley tolerable enough. Worthington and Mendes on the other hand are excruciatingly dull to watch, despite their physical beauty. And it is not just the actors who are lacking. Tadjedin’s script thinks itself to be modern and insightful but it misses the mark on both counts, mistaking banal Oprah style naval gazing for depth (Joanna’s earnest request of her ex lover Alex, "Tell me something that counts!" springs to mind). It’s more Dawson’s Creek than Fatal Attraction.
So, it all looks very nice; not only the actors but Tadjedin’s muted palette of darkened streets and tastefully lit interiors. Much like Worthington himself though, Last Night is pretty to look at but gives the impression of having very little going on upstairs.
- Linda O’Brien |
