Occasionally moving but mostly flat
- The Last Bus review by AER
Spoiler Alert
Updated 09/09/2021
This road movie looks like it got scuppered because of the Covid Lockdowns. It's a road movie that is supposed to take place between John o'Groats in Scotland, and Land's End in Cornwall but looks as if it was all filmed in Scotland. Timothy Spall is note-perfect as the pensioner on a personal mission to get himself to Cornwall in a race against the clock. Spall's performance is the sole reason for giving this film your attention, elsewhere the film flounders with badly scripted, and acted scenes by a largely Scottish cast. The scenes are clunky and poorly executed, making huge sections of this potentially thoughtful film trite, and unconvincing. Where Spall is left to his own devices, this film soars, particularly in a scene or two at the end. All the rubbish about him becoming a social media sensation is corny and schmaltzy to the max. This is a great shame as the director Gillies Mackinnon has made some great films in the past like Small Faces, and Regeneration. I wonder how this could have been with a similar story yet with convincing supporting characters and a much better script.
3 out of 10
2 out of 5 members found this review helpful.
totally absorbing, sad and uplifting
- The Last Bus review by MF
It shows the kindness of strangers, modern society and little job worths.
We sat totally absorbed about the tail that unfolded on the screen, we had the odd tear of joy and sadness as his journey progressed down the country.
Timothy Spall was excellent.
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Good idea but predictable
- The Last Bus review by JW
This film was different and typically BFI.
Quietly rambling but a little bit unbelievable that an ill old man would be allowed to make the trip on buses. Had he no friends or relatives to accompany him?
Gave slices of humanity good and bad along the way but predictable.
I like Timothy Spall but felt his talent wasted.
Worth watching as an education in film making and its pitfalls.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
Charming and irritating
- The Last Bus review by RD
A road trip with the main character portrayed well but excruciatingly slowly at times by Mr Spall. Realistic and convincing but often overdone in this film.
The main problem with the film is the fragmented scenes and lack of information for the viewer at each point. We don't know where we are at each scene, and the flashbacks to his early life are short and confusing. Each scene seems to finish prematurely and we move on to another. The following by social media is just hinted at, but should perhaps be the central theme of the film, affording some strength to the often limp story.
0 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Charming and moving…
- The Last Bus review by Brummie
Spall plays the part well as you’d expect and I really enjoyed it. Maybe not a film for everyone but none the less there’s no violence or bad language, so it has that in it’s favour!
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
An outstanding Story
- The Last Bus review by AS
A warm hearted story about a man who has not given up on life, even though his body is getting ready to do so. The film tells the story of Tom who, despite limited mobility, is determined to fulfill a last promise made to his late wife. He repeatedly declines offers to be distracted from his mission. Yes, the film has moments of real sadness yet our hero slowly pushes on to his final destination. The climax in the last two scenes is genuinely uplifting.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
The Last Bus
- The Last Bus review by JD
Timothy Spall plays the part of a very ill, grieving , infirm widower just too well to make the film enjoyable. His facial grimaces fill the screen as he meets challenging incident after challenging incident and it all became too bleak and depressing and dreary - all part of the story but rarely relieved by much lightness. After 25 minutes I had lost the will to live and couldn't take any more .
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.