THE LAST GOOD TIME
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 8.4
U.S. Availability: limited release on 4/7/95 Running Length: 1:29 MPAA Classification: R (Language, nudity, mature themes)
Starring: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Olivia D'Abo, Maureen Stapleton, Lionel Stander, Adrian Pasdar Director: Bob Balaban Producers: Dean Silvers and Bob Balaban Screenplay: Bob Balaban and John McLauglin based on the novel by Richard Bausch Cinematography: Claudia Raschke Music: Jonathan Tunick Released by The Samuel Goldwyn Company
On any given day, you can walk down a street in New York City (or any other city, for that matter) and pass hundreds of people, most of whom will be gazing straight ahead, wrapped in their own thoughts. Take a moment to consider the untold story behind each face. Most of the time, it won't be anything flashy or exotic--just a normal tale of the minor ups and downs of day-to-day life. THE LAST GOOD TIME, the latest effort from actor-turned-director Bob Balaban (MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK), chronicles one of those simple-yet-affecting stories.
Approached with less sensitivity and intelligence, this movie could have been exploitative. The subject--the relationship between an older gentleman and a much younger woman--is, by nature, delicate. However, there is nothing salacious about THE LAST GOOD TIME; instead, it's an examination not so much of sexuality, but of friendship, need, and platonic love. The scenario is touching and tender, without a hint of artifice.
The story opens where most of the scenes take place: in a small apartment rented by Joseph Kopple (Armin Mueller-Stahl), an over-seventy widower living a lonely life governed by a regimented daily routine. Every morning, he wakes up at 7:10, dresses in a suit, takes the bus to visit his friend Howard (the late Lionel Stander) in a nursing home, returns to his well-ordered rooms, eats a TV dinner, plays the violin, reads Plato, then goes to sleep. There's no variety, but the unceasing blandness gives him a measure of comfort.
Then, as is often the case, things change suddenly and dramatically. Charlotte Zwicki (Olivia D'Abo), one of Joseph's upstairs neighbors, has a violent fight with her boyfriend (Adrian Pasdar). When she needs a place to stay, circumstances bring her to Joseph's door. And, after she has spent a night on his floor, he can't find the heart to turn her out. After a few days, the pair form an unusual and fragile bond. Each, in their own way, is lonely, and the companionship provided by the other fills a need. There is a certain degree of sexual tension in their relationship, but it's neither provocative nor gratuitous.
Veteran actor Mueller-Stahl shows tremendous range in a role that demands the expression--and repression--of a variety of emotions. Much of Joseph's inner self is conveyed to the audience through body language and facial expressions. Dialogue is used exclusively as a supplement (in fact, it's over eight minutes into the movie before Mueller-Stahl speaks a word).
Olivia D'Abo, while not given the opportunity to show the same breadth of character as her more experienced co-star, displays impressive depth. In what is by far her best screen performance to-date, D'Abo uses Charlotte's raw energy to ignite her scenes. This memorable performance is all the more surprising coming from an actress who hasn't previously shown such ability.
Also filling roles are Maureen Stapleton (as another of Joseph's neighbors) and, in the final feature part before his November 1994 death, Lionel Stander (best-known as Max from the TV series HART TO HART). These two actors provide the lion's share of THE LAST GOOD TIME's low-key humor.
Supporting the fine performances and well-crafted script is the evocative and atmospheric cinematography of Claudia Raschke. Working with a pallet of shadow and light, she uses contrast and camera angles to amplify the relationship between the two leads. The dynamics of Joseph and Charlotte's interactions are, after all, the central focus of THE LAST GOOD TIME. The filmmakers' willingness to proceed with patience, allowing the drama to unfold naturally, affords the audience an opportunity to experience a marvelously complex, character-based study of two apparently-dissimilar people who recover lost fragments of their selves through each other. Like BEFORE SUNRISE, THE LAST GOOD TIME has proven to be one of early 1995's most pleasant surprises.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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