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Review by Dustin Putman
2½ stars out of 4
"The Last Shot" tells a fascinating true story, one originally written
about in a Details article by Steve Fishman, in which the FBI used
an aspiring filmmaker's screenplay as a front for a mob sting operation.
The writer was led to believe his script, the one he had only dreamt
of turning into a movie, was being fast-tracked by Hollywood into
production. He was wrong. A sad account, yes, for all those struggling
filmmakers out there praying and hoping for a big break, but also
a potential source for some ripe comedic material. Such is the case
with "The Last Shot," the smooth directing debut of writer Jeff Nathanson
(2002's "Catch Me If You Can"), a brassy satire of moviemaking and
all of the shortcuts taken and unforeseen pitfalls that work their
way into it. The picture is often hilarious, sometimes rudely so,
and its eccentric ensemble of characters hold a forthright charm that
carry them through the rougher third-act passages, when things turn pretty serious.
In an unorthodox attempt to capture a head mob boss, FBI agent Joe
Devine (Alec Baldwin) heads to Hollywood under the guise of a hot-shot
producer and hand-picks a screenplay called "Arizona" by lowly Grauman's
Chinese Theater employee Steve Schats (Matthew Broderick) to turn
into a respectably budgeted feature film. Steve, who had all but given
up his dreams of stardom, is all the more nonplussed to discover that
he will get to direct himself. Only, there isn't going to be a movie
at all, and not Steve, not the crew, and not the actors, including
fading starlet Emily French (Toni Collette), have any ideas they are
mere pawns in a bigger scheme to snare the mob.
"The Last Shot" has a breezy tone and a wicked edge, good enough to
make for a satisfying 90 minutes but not quite madcap or tightly developed
enough to be anything more. While Joe's goal of catching the mob is
clearly defined, less conspicuous is how, exactly, the making of the
movie is going to aid in his work. The film, which mostly depicts
all of the pre-production work of Steve's unknowingly faux motion
picture, also neglects the countless uproarious possibilities that
might have gone with a bunch of complete amateurs trying to make a
Hollywood feature. So, just as filming commences and the momentum
begins to build, the story is wrapped up and cuts things a little short.
Nevertheless, there is some sharp, unanticipatedly brazen comic gold
leading up to that paltry finale. In an uncredited two-scene cameo,
the invaluable Joan Cusack (2003's "The School of Rock") is brilliantly
funny as a brutally honest Hollywood exec who coaches Joe and his
fellow undercover co-workers on the ins and outs of the film business.
Gags concerning a lonely dog who allegedly commits suicide, actress
Emily French's overblown death-scene audition and ensuing desperation
for the lead role, and even the making of "Jaws" keep the laughs coming
in the first hour at a fast clip. As for the very notion of forcing
Steve to shoot the desert-set "Arizona" in the very New England-looking
Rhode Island town of Providence, the sight of them trying to scout
locations to stand in for the Colorado River and even the Grand Canyon is priceless.
In his meatiest role since 1999's "Election," Matthew Broderick is
delectably charming and wide-eyed as Steve Schats, who is so dumbstruck
to be making a movie that he doesn't stop and realize none of it is
real. Broderick makes Steve innocently good-hearted and naive—but
not stupid—a believable portrait of a man technically unskilled in
making movies but with a love for the cinema that could possibly transcend
his lack of experience. Alec Baldwin (2003's "The Cooler") makes a
solid match for Broderick as Joe Devine, a veritable nice guy who
grows to regret his deceptions and fears having to tell Steve the
truth. Baldwin does nothing wrong here, and is superb at playing dead-pan,
but there is something about his look that makes him not seem like
an FBI agent. Actually, there are times when it is easy to forget
who he is playing and uncontrollably think of him as being a part
of the mob. It is no fault of his, probably having more to do with
how unexplicitly his character is written.
As actress Emily French, once an Oscar-winner who turned to a short
stint in porn and is looking for a step back up to the A-list, Toni
Collette (2004's "Connie and Carla") is fabulously droll with nary
a wink or a smile. Collette wonderfully plays into the general stereotypes
of Hollywood actresses while somehow avoiding cliches; her Emily is
so content and nonchalant within the realm of her own world that she
doesn't even realize how outlandish she really is. Finally, Calista
Flockhart (1999's "A Midsummer Night's Dream") is intentionally insufferable,
but insufferable all the same, as Steve's girlfriend, Valerie, an
animal-hating, borderline-psychotic wannabe actress. Flockhart relishes
the un-PC role, a big step away from "Ally McBeal," but her character
is akin to fingernails on a blackboard.
In its satirical look at making a big film in a small town, "The Last
Shot" resembles David Mamet's 2000 entry, "State and Main," lacking
Mamet's pitch-perfect, world-class dialogue but probably a little
more humorously clever in its ideas. There is a nagging sense, though,
even as it entertains and concocts some slyly acidic, in-the-know
jokes, that it is holding back from being the encompassing Hollywood
mockery it intends to be. The premise should have been more tenaciously
developed, rather than an excuse to attach jokes to, and the third-act
round-up does slow things down. The final scene, however, is kind
of mournful in a positive way, effectively bringing to a close the
journeys Steve and Joe have been on and showing the respect that has
grown between them. Putting the film's overall quality in the terms
of the money-hungry Hollywood mindset, "The Last Shot" is an amusing,
likable sleeper hit, but not an out-of-the-stratosphere blockbuster.
Copyright © 2004 Dustin Putman
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