The Last Request

It's just plan fun. Nothing deep. Nothing profound. Nothing controversial, well maybe one thing, a sight gag but I won't get into that here.

This is an coming of age story that takes a familiar trail but the the twists and turns in the form of odd ball characters make this enjoyable ride full of strange treats.

TR Knight from Grey's Anatomy plays the lead, which by the look of him was shot before the TV. It's almost like his character George started here and grew into what it has become on the TV show. His death bed ridden father is played by Danny Aiello, who hams it up as an old time comic, who despite his failing health can't stop laughing at his own jokes. Mario Cantone is great as a want to be at one time actor, who runs an actors retirement home and take his job very seriously in a very funny way. The story is about a kid trying to please his father but in don't so he's really pleasing himself. And it seems like he was the last to know. Sabrina Loydd plays his love interest and they seem to fit better than the matches they made for him on Grey's anatomy. If you're looking for a movie to feel good about and laugh at without getting a bombarded by profanity and body functions jokes than this is your baby. Which is what the movie is really all about.

From the very beginning the film had me laughing and I knew I was in for a very unusual ride. Somehow the writer director managed to blend off beat with even more off beat with a some warmth, especially towards the end of the movie.

Tony Lo Bianco and Mario Cantone shared a scene in the church and they were more like a comedy team than two actors working together in a movie. The biggest name in the movie was Danny Aiello who was brilliant as the over the top dying pop. T.R. Knight was perfectly cast as the nerdy son who has to work through all of of his fears on a quest his dying dad wouldn't take no for an answer. He was also matched perfectly with Sabrina Loydd the girl he doesn't know is the one. It's a simple story but anymore and the outlandish jokes wouldn't have worked. This is charming, funny film that somehow is kind of sick at the same time. I loved it. I'm glad I rented it. I'll have to thank the friend who turned me on to this little gem.

Danny A. is no comic master and I should have learned that from "Hudson Hawk." No, in a flick like this he's more into yukking it up on his own end, and not the audience. Laughing all the way to the bank would be my guess.

I wasn't kidding, 15 minutes was all I could invest in this crap, and the only other movie I had left to watch was a foreign film that looked riskier. It wasn't, thus, a low-budget horror offering from New Zealand beats Danny A. and company. It wasn't even close.

Danny! Stick with mob movies with lots of blood. There's still time. Avoid comedy, Dan.

This movie was different from the very first scene. Without giving away the gag, the phone TR Knight uses was hysterically blasphemous (I think that's how it's spelled). The Honey moon scene has me on the floor, it was viciously romantic which made it even funnier. It took me a while to realize that the old retired actor in the home, run by Mario Cantone, was Tony Lo Bianco. It was a great makeup job.

It seemed like the movie went from one funny scene to the next, each one getting crazier, none more crazy than the Jiffy Pop birth scene. It had an element of Mel Brook's Young Frankenstien and Woody Allen's inventiveness. Although the story was simple and I knew where it would probably end up I had no idea who it would get there. The casting was great. It was fun seeing Joe Piscopo play such a funny outrageous character without going over the top. There's so many funny scenes I find myself wanting to tell them but I don't want to ruin the fun for you. This is probably one of the more unusual romantic comedies I've seen. It has a sweet story that blends with almost airplane like jokes that fit. It's fun. Rent or buy it, you'll enjoy it.

The funniest thing about this movie are the phony glowing reviews written here at IMDb. They have obviously been written by the writer/director (or possibly his mother) of this abortion of a movie. This movie was so bad it inspired me to waste time reading through this drivel and adding my own comments. How embarrassing for the great cast to be associated with this dog of a movie. Is it possible this was written and directed by a couple of 9 year old boys? That would explain a lot of the fear-of-women humor. What's really impressive - or depressing, you choose - is that this woofer raised enough money to get made and attract an amazing cast. It strives for the inspired silliness of Airplane but falls far of its mark. I think the rock bottom was the Siamese twins business.