Review of The Last Shot (2004) by Steve M — 06 Apr 2008

A wanna-be screenwriter/director (Broderick) has all his dreams come true when a movie producer (Baldwin) offers him the movie deal of movie deals. However, the movie production is actually the central part of an elaborate sting operation against the east coast crime families.

"The Last Shot" is an interesting, if uneven and only sporadically funny comedy that is loosely based upon a real life FBI operation where an undercover agent mounted a film production in an attempt to catch mobsters associated with John Gotti. It's not a crime comedy, however, but merely uses the framework to poke fun at Hollywood stereotypes while ultimately delivering a message about how hopes and dreams enrich all our lives.

The film succeeds almost entirely due to the charisma of its two leads, as well as their acting abilities; they pair make an excellent on-screen pair and their presense is enough to get the viewers through the film's slow points. Baldwin has rarely been better than he is in this film, as the calculating undercover agent who finds himself becoming enamoured and inspired by a hapless losers dream of making movies.

This is far from a must-see movie, but Broderick and Baldwin's performances, as well as Joan Cusack, Calista Flockhart, and Tony Shalhoub in small but hilarious supporting roles, make it a movie that's nonetheless worth checking out.

The Last Shot.

Starring: Matthew Broderick and Alec Baldwin.

Director: Jeff Nathanson.