Last Will

I have just watched this on Sky premiere. I cannot believe it was launched in 2010 as the locations and filming were from the 80's. The acting was awful from all concerned and some big names should be very embarrassed. Apparently it was a true story but it all seemed so emotionless and contrived. Oneill and Berenger looked ill at ease and there was no warmth between them. The "bad guys" who were the brothers looked like pantomime villains and could not be taken seriously. The plot such as it was lurched from one idea to another and the viewer was left bemused and by the end I couldn't really care and so wanted the credits to come up.

Good grief, the poor poor exploited downtrodden illegal aliens with their darling sweet children with freshly scrubbed faces and impeccable manners and sweet rosy smiles who can't even get a Federal grant (no really, the movie says that) to fix up their buildings.. get the picture? If you didn't, there is a giant sign in the movie proclaiming "IMMIGRATION REFORM NOW".

The comedy relief is the rich Anglo woman dressed to the nines walking through the depths of the barrio, snapping pictures right and left with her stylish mobile phone. Except the movie doesn't even seem to get the joke, so busy are they burping out their stereotypes. Yikes!

If your idea of a great time at the movies is a ham handed propaganda soufflé, your going to love it.

Poor Tatum---she looks good but she's not really a good actress but she's as good as those awful Lifetime actresses. Cast as the wife of a wealthy man, she can't quite pull this off---and doesn't vacillate very much between very sad or angry.

In a worse position is Tom Berenger. Geez---what happened to his face? They do not have much chemistry and his acting is terrible.

In a plot with a city that's muddled---two city backdrops but we're in the Midwest? A stupid plot where her in-laws are sooo bad---one brother even has his hair slicked back.

James Brolin is in here too. He's much more likeable and skilled than the rest of the cast.

I think this movie could have been titled, "We Need a Paycheck"---lots of out of work actors needing some cash. Can you blame them?

I thought it was slow at first, but it gets better. In fact, I was like...huh...why did my movie app match me to this one because nothing in the teaser really intrigued me. BUT, sometimes those weird ones are right to a point. Turns out this one has a twist I didn't expect. The acting is very calm, so if you're looking for a fast paced flick with lots of taunting music or edgy moments throughout, this on isn't for you. But, the story that plays out is not what you'd see coming. A mix of well known actors, sort of the underdogs, enable the plot relatively well. I can't get specific, lest I reveal spoilers ...but I didn't hate it.

Hayden (Tatum O'Neill), the wife of wealthy doctor Frank Emery (Tom Berenger) discovers that Frank's brothers have been cooking their family's books. Upon exposing them, Frank is murdered. Framed and isolated, Hayden must find out the truth amid a major Midwestern trial.

Channels like Hallmark and Lifetime make these movies often; small, independent, low-budget mysteries with actors of a previous generation. "Last Will" is a similar type of film, exemplifying what can happen when a decent script and a decent budget are combined.

Tatum O'Neill does an able job as the helpless housewife thrust into the mystery of her husband; shocked that an outstanding man like her husband could do something like go to a strip club. You work through the first half hour of the film in a daze as it repeats the characters motives again and again, to try and prevent you from being surprised at twists down the road.

Tom Berenger is one of my favorite actors, but recently it seems like every film he does has the same basic formula of a bit of action, a bit of mystery, a bit of Berenger. He isn't in the film as much as I'd like but he does not bait-and-switch, either. Fans will also welcome the faces of Peter Coyote and James Brolin, heroes of a bygone era whose rugged good looks and solid support make them able additions to the cast.

If it is a cheesy, formulaic, unsurprising mystery you are looking for, "Last Will" does an admirable job at solidifying its place in the daytime cable television slot between the "Family Feud" and the News at Noon. Enjoy.