Le rideau final

Who on earth would enjoy a dark and cynical comedy full of unappealing characters and unpleasant plot twists? .I suppose I would, however unwillingly. Peter O'Toole plays the aging actor/entertainer JJ Curtis, whose fame now revolves around `The Big Prize', the tacky game show he produces and hosts. While trying to make a lucrative deal to air his program in the U.S., the competition rears its ugly head in the form of young Dave Turner, host of a different tacky and truly `shocking' game show (pun intended). Both are willing to play dirty to get the U.S. deal--in fact no tactic is too twisted or drastic for either men--and I promise you a few surprisingly nasty tricks.

Also thrown into the mix is Adrian Lester as the emerging writer (and narrator of this tale) Jonathan Snitch, an interesting surname since he is hired to write JJ Curtis' memoirs. JJ is particularly anxious to get his life story recorded for posterity since he has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer; and lest you think this condition makes his character more sympathetic--think again. Snitch stands out as the only decent character in the cast, and Adrian Lester does a superb job. Adrian Gillen deftly handles the unlikable Dave Turner, and Julia Sawalha (Saffy in the Brit TV series

Absolutely Fabulous) appears as Dave's hapless assistant.

Peter O'Toole, not surprisingly, is Absolutely Fabulous as JJ. The characters may be drawn with a wide brush, but O'Toole somehow finds the subtleties and nuances that make JJ a three-dimensional creature. I honestly think this is an award-deserving performance.

But, this film won't (and didn't) win any awards in America; in fact I wonder if anyone but the 10 of us rating it on this site saw the film. Black humor and a story that defies categorizing ensure a small audience for this quirky movie. But hey, I enjoy watching a movie and being surprised and deliciously horrified. I enjoy wonderful performances in a small but slickly executed production. I like a film that is not so bland that I've forgotten it 10 minutes later. It's not for everyone--but I hope it will find the audience it deserves.

Unlike some other reviewers here, I simply didn't much like this film. The unlikeable, selfish characters, the jumpy schizoid story and the flashy direction.

I'm sure it has much to say, or has said, in the same way that Scorsese's The King Of Comedy, Sidney Lumet's Network and Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog, all about the nastier, crueler side of television but without being as nastily cruel as The Final Curtain appears to always be.

I'm afraid Peter O'Toole swearing at every opportunity isn't a good thing, however adorably crusty he's supposed to be. Maybe I watched the DVD I bought for 66.6p at Cash Converters on a bad night, maybe it does hold much treasure within. I will undoubtedly try it again some day and hopefully get more from it.

Peter O'Toole may be the only reason to watch "The Final Curtain", and it's of course a fabulous performance, although he is not given much to work with. The main problem here is that all the other actors are painfully bad and the script doesn't have the spark of "Trainspotting". All these young actors simply lack the charm and the talent to stand up to O'Toole, so their characters are utterly unconvincing and clichéd.

It's a shame when you look at it because you can't help but feel that Peter O'Toole's enormous talent is not being used properly. The movie's good intentions are noted, but the satire is pretty thin under this undistinguished direction, and there are clumsy plot holes throughout. I don't mean to say that this is a bad movie, but it could have been much better. Watch it for Peter's multi-layered performance, there's nothing like it.

Obviously made on a low budget, so we have to concentrate on the story & the acting rather than computerised special effects or big Hollywood names. A unique storyline with duelling gameshow hosts and a narrator who is reluctantly writing the biography of one of them.

Well worth a watch, though I felt it strained belief towards the end. O'Toole (as ever) shows what being an actor REALLY means & why the present Hollywood generation are anonymous by comparison with the greats.

You'll remember this film long after you forget Charlies Angels 6 or the latest Jennifer Lopez epic

As I saw in the last review I read, not many in this country have even seen it, But I viewed it today on cable and thought it was worth some thumbs up on my TiVo. It was of a class with O'Toole's "The Ruling Class" and (tho' he's aged much since that) shows that he still has a flair for the slightly sick comedy that many of us love. All I can say is I'm happy for digital cable with all the choices and TiVo for finding things that I enjoy. None of the other actors were known to me and I did not recognize the gal from "AB-FAB" but overall, it was a fun movie to watch. Much better than the "lesson" movies that Hollywood has chosen to give us in recent years. I am happy to confine my movie viewing to those of vintage (30's and 40s), foreign (even with subtitles) and the offerings of IFC and Sundance.