One Last Thing...

This movie was actually a good film that surprised me a little bit. When I rented it, based on what I had read about it, I was expecting to see a raunchy teen flick. Instead, it turned out to be a not-bad film that balanced comedy and drama in it. In the movie, a teenager is dying from cancer. A foundation that grants wishes to dying youngsters has him appear on television to make his "one last wish," and everyone thinks he is going to ask for a fishing trip with his favorite football player. Instead, he asks for a weekend with a hot supermodel whose bikini-clad image adorns his wall on a poster. We then shift to the supermodel, who is portrayed as somewhat on the hot-tempered side and has totally exasperated her manager. The model is surprised when she learns about the wish and reluctantly agrees to meet him. After a couple disappointing meetings, the boy becomes frustrated too. I will leave the rest to you to watch to figure out what happens. All in all, this was a decent way to spend an hour and a half of your time, and I recommend it. It has both funny and tear-jerking moments.

** 1/2 out of ****

I had the great pleasure of seeing One Last Thing this weekend at the Philadelphia Film Festival. Twice, in fact – Saturday night's East Coast Premiere and a second screening on Sunday.

The plot involves a 16 year-old (Dylan, played by Michael Angarano) who has a terminal illness. He is given a "last wish" by a national foundation, and making that wish come true is the essence of the story. The wish, and I know I'm not giving anything away here, is to spend a weekend with his favorite supermodel. I generally dislike "reviews" because they invariably give too much away, and that is especially true in this case. So in lieu of posting spoilers, I'll just discuss some general impressions of the film and performances.

Since the earliest days of theater, tragedy and comedy often go hand-in-hand, and it's at the heart of this story. As they say, "you'll laugh, you'll cry" and the audience did. The director, writer, and two of the film's lead actors all hail from the Philadelphia area, which also serves as the setting for much of the film and supplies fodder for the script. Yet I have no doubt that audiences elsewhere will "get the joke" and be able to relate to the working class, oil refinery town which is home to Dylan's family and friends.

The power of this film comes from the script by Barry Stringfellow and a brilliant cast, led by Michael Angarano. Arguably the most sought-after teenage actor in America, Angarano is finally beginning to tackle some powerful leading roles, with the soon-to-be released Bondage (which I saw at its World Premiere last month at SXSW) and now with One Last Thing. As Sky High's Will and Lords of Dogtown's Sid we saw just a hint of the powerful range of Angarano's abilities, and in One Last Thing he uses both his comedic talents as well as dramatic ones in a way that we haven't really seen before. If you liked Sid, you'll love Dylan.

Angarano has an uncanny ability to make us laugh when we want to cry and to make us cry when we want to laugh. It's a real gift, and one which is evident in films like Dear Wendy and Lords of Dogtown. But here is able to use that gift from opening to closing credits. It's no wonder that director Alex Steyermark says that Angarano was really his only choice for this role. Anyone who has seen his films will not be surprised at how elegantly he slips into this character, but no doubt others who are not as familiar with his body of work will discover what many already know.

To say that this is a film about a boy's carnal desires in his last days is to miss the point. Even more than that, One Last Thing is about coping with loss – a son's loss of his father and a mother's loss of her son. It's also about the search for love. "Carpe diem," if you will. The mother here is Cynthia Nixon, who is absolutely heartbreaking in a performance that can only come from deep within. This is a role that lesser actors would find daunting. Who among us hasn't experienced a similar loss? On the other hand, nothing can compare to seeing your child go before you do.

The "love object" (of Dylan – there are others here) is played by Sunny Mabrey. She is the image that has been but a poster on his wall, and his quest to fulfill his dream is only as powerful in its resolution as Mabrey is in her ability to make a petulant supermodel a sympathetic character. But she pulls it off effortlessly. Dylan's partners in crime are his two best buds, Slap and Ricky (Gideon Glick and Matt Bush), who provide much of the comic relief in what would otherwise have threatened to be a heavy-handed statement on death and spiritual belief. Their lines elicit the most laughs and the fact that these were two "real" teenagers, both acting in their first film, gives their performances a ring of truth which more jaded veterans might actually have had to fight to find.

But what struck me more than anything was just how incredibly economical Steyermark and editor Michael Berenbaum are in their work. This is one of the most efficiently constructed films I've ever seen. The tendency lately seems to be to build slowly, sometimes spending up to a third of the film on character development before you begin to see the story unfold. Not here. The basic plot is presented in the very first scene, literally in the opening minutes of the film. From that point on not a moment is wasted – not a shot, not a line, not a frame. Every second here is valuable to the story and yet nothing feels rushed. What a breath of fresh air this was in a season of pretentious, "look-at-me-I'm-an-indie-filmmaker" projects.

Don't let the "teen sex comedy" poster or the ad blurbs fool you. This is a dark comedy in the true sense of the word, packed with the kind of gallows humor that is made especially poignant when the subject is a high school kid. I was moved by One Last Thing, and it will leave you thinking – in my book, the definition of a film that has hit its mark.

I went to see this movie on the recommendation of a friend and didn't know what quite to expect - was it another 'teen flick' or something better. It certainly was better. It had humor but also some poignant sadness. The casting, performances, photography, all were balanced and worked well. More important, it dealt with the very real heartache of facing the loss of someone dear - something I had faced recently. The story characters displayed very 'real' reactions to the situation - not some phony approach. It touched on many of the questions one faces in this situation - ones that often strain your fundamental values. With all that, there were many good laughs. All-in-all, certainly well worth seeing and deserving of a wide audience.

"One Last Thing" is that rare thing, a small film that's big on entertainment while never compromising its intimate feel. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and then you'll laugh and cry some more. "One Last Thing" takes the story of a teenager, dying of cancer, and turn it into a celebration of life that is neither sappy, nor cliché. On the verge of accepting a charitable organization's last wish of a fishing trip with his football hero, the young Dylan throws caution to the wind and states his real wish on live TV: to spend a weekend alone with supermodel Nikki Sinclair. Michael Angarano ("Seabiscuit," "Lords Of Dogstown," "Will & Grace) as the dying Dylan, Cynthia Nixon ("Sex and The City") as his widowed mom, and hot, hot, hot newcomer Sunny Mabrey ("xXx State of the Union") as the gorgeous but troubled model, bring amazing chemistry to Barry Stringfellow's remarkable script. Deftly directed by Alex Steyermark ("Prey For Rock & Roll"), the cast is rounded out by the likes of Gina Gershon, Wyclef Jean, Johnny Messner, Coati Mundi, Michael Rispoli. And added bonus is a wonderful, uncredited turn by Ethan Hawk as Dylan's father who also died from cancer a few years before. I heard about "One Last Thing," of all places, on my classical radio station KUSC here in L.A. Evening host Jim Svedja was so impressed by it at a screening that he took time from his usual musical broadcast to rave about the flick and interview Mr. Stringfellow, Mr. Steyemark and Ms. Mabrey (tough duty I'll bet). He even offered a money back guarantee. Alas, HD-Net the company that released "One Last Thing" apparently lacked his good taste and enthusiasm. After a bare bones release, the film was quickly released on DVD via their "genius" day-date release policy. Fortunately, the DVD is widely available and the small screen doesn't diminish the big pleasure that is "One Last Thing." I don't have Mr. Svedja's deep pockets, but I guarantee you it won't disappoint you.

I have to admit that I approached this film with a little trepidation at the Tribeca Film Festival. One one hand, the plot sounded a little like it might come out of an afterschool special; but then again, the cast had Cynthia Nixon, Gina Gershon, Wyclef Jean, and I had heard a rumor about a certain movie star cameo. (Which I won't spoil here.) And I knew that Sunny Mabrey, the only thing I remember from XXX2, was in it. Certainly all of these names wouldn't have been attracted by something pedestrian, right? Right. The IMDb and other reviews summarize the plot, so I won't do that here. (Or rant that the film never got a chance to find a theatrical audience. Thanks, Cuban.) But what I will do is tell you that the writing and the acting elevate this film into something pretty special.

It's not rare to find a funny film. It's not rare to find a sad film about death. What is rare is to find a film that is honest about its approach to death, and that manages to be both very funny and sad. And while some of the laughs certainly qualify as gallows humor, for anyone that has been through something like this, you will appreciate the filmmakers' open approach of looking at all the shades of this experience.

It is a strong testament to the film (and especially the writing) that from the opening scene, you know how this movie is going to end, yet that end is still very affecting. It was definitely more than a little dusty in the theater, if you know what I mean. But the end is not cheap, or manipulative. The emotions that are generated are come by honestly, and true to the spirit of the characters.

I'd especially like to mention the performances by all the actors playing the teenagers. These felt like real kids, who were both terrified by the situation, yet doing their best to get through it anyway they can. A lot of reviews have mentioned Michael Angarano, and rightfully so, but Matt Bush and Gideon Click are also excellent, and the three of them create a really strong dynamic. And there is a killer Wyclef Jean song over the end credits.

I'll also add that this movie sparked more conversation between my girlfriend and I than any we've seen, and that's really saying something.

So buy it, rent it, add it to your Netflix, tell a friend. This is a film that deserves your support. You won't regret giving it a chance.