The Last Producer

In search of funding to purchase a dynamite script before his option runs out, Burt Reynolds' has-been title character goes through the movie begging, wheedling, and trying to consummate a deal with various devils.

Never mind the plot. Though there is a race against time, it certainly doesn't feel that way. What is served up is a large Hollywood A-team cast as a bunch of unlovable and largely colorless characters that are pathetic losers, bimbos, or professional crooks or that have it in for anyone over 35. Rod Steiger makes his character, who annoys everyone by speaking in platitudes, into the least uninteresting of the bunch.

"Last Producer" doesn't deserve this many words and certainly not your time.

I saw this on video last night. It has the feel of a made for TV movie, maybe like an old Rockford show. Once you get over the obvious face lift on Burt Reynolds, you begin to like his character Sonny Wexler. Sonny was making movies back in the glory days of Hollywood. He is now a has been. But he has fallen on a great script. He has friends at the studio who want to help him make the movie but they aren't in charge, they are sort of has-beens too. Benjamin Bratt plays Mr. Black,a real S.O.B. who is now in charge. Sonny used to know the guy in charge but he has retired. We follow Sonny as he tries to come up with the money that is required to give to Mr. Black by the deadline of Friday at 5 p.m. I think Burt Reynolds plays Sonny Wexler really well. He is a loveable has been. Benjamin Bratt (the reason I was watching it. I am a Huge Bratt fan)is the jerky, mean, powerful, egotistical creep,"Mr. Black". Ben is handsome in this movie as always but he is so slick and slimy, just what the character should be. His is a supporting role. Most of the other characters are loveable but odd people. Ann Margaret is Sonny's wife. Rod Steiger is a tough guy. Sean Austin is the person who wrote the movie they are trying to get made. At first I thought "Hey, he is a dork. How could he write a great script." But he is very believable as a writer as the movie progresses. Charles Durning is Sonny's old friend, who can't help him. Overall it moves slowly but I would watch it at least once.

If you do, pay attention to how well the acting is done. I think they make it look so easy that you could think that they aren't really acting but just having a good time. But good actors make it look easy, don't they?

Burt Reynolds was so wrong in this part. We are supposed to believe he is an over the hill producer but his "plastic surgery" leads us to believe he is in much better shape.

Would have been a good story with the right direction and cast.

Quite possibly the worst film i've ever seen (along with speed 2, and blair witch project 2) (no i don't make it a habit of watching bad films i just watch a lot of films in general), the thing about this is it never gets started, it goes around in circles, so it is basically a [broken down]vehicle for burt reynolds who played the lead and directed it. Also the video case had the nerve to compare it to "Get Shorty" which is just down right disgracefull, as "Get Shorty" is infinatley better than this offering.

Maybe 2000 wasn't the best year for Burt. A good try, but a very stupid script holds him back once again. The script was dumb!!!! Plus, who wrote the screenplay? But give Burt & the gang credit; they gave this movie heart, but it just didn't work out that way. A great supporting cast just fell a tad short. Hopefully this made-for-cable movie will give Burt some more exposure, & a chance to make that 'great' movie again. He's a great actor, so hopefully he'll have success in "Driven" & "Tempted" this year. Personally, I wish he'd do another good-ol-boy movie like "White Lightning" & "W.W & The Dixie Dancekings".