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The Last Station (2009)

Director: Michael Hoffman

Time Out rating

Average user rating

8 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Russia, 1910. In his old age, Leo Tolstoy has become so famous worldwide that the merest hint he’s about to pop his clogs sends newsreel cameras gathering in anticipation. The real story though, as this slightly fusty drama elaborates, is unfolding inside the Tolstoy household, where the octogenerian writer (Christopher Plummer, authentically beardy) finds himself in the centre of a dispute over the valuable publishing rights to ‘War and Peace’. The Tolstoyan political movement – an organisation espousing his ideas on communal property to combat social injustice – sense a major funding opportunity should Tolstoy sign his best-known book over to their leader Chertkov (Paul Giamatti), yet Tolstoy’s aristocratic wife Sofya (Helen Mirren), having delivered him 13 children, is determined to fight her corner to the bitter end.

Idealism versus family ties makes for a potentially juicy set-to, yet it’s the historical detail which keeps this adaptation of Jay Parini’s novel relatively intriguing, rather than merely stodgy. Writer-director Michael Hoffman is all reverence towards Tolstoy himself, but curiously supercilious towards the beliefs of the Tolstoyan movement, thus undermining the key subplot (eager young acolyte James McAvoy gets his dream job as the great man’s secretary, but must also spy on him) and unfairly loading the central conflict in favour of ferocious spouse Mirren. Her impressively projected performance becomes the dominating factor, causing Plummer to overdo it, and sidelining both the earnestly wet McAvoy and moustache-twirling Giamatti. Engaging performers all, but the movie’s superficial flummery is slightly exasperating when the true-life events would have provided an even richer palette of ideas.

Author: Trevor Johnston

Time Out London Issue 2061: 18-24 February, 2010

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User reviews of this film

Dicky said...

Posted on Mar 02 2010 18:55 "that person" below you's friend in Newcastle went to see it because he likes Helen Mirren. He texted me to say it should have been titled "The Last Resort" as he also thought it was dull. I only wish I'd thought of that one when I reviewed it. A 1-star turkey it remains.

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Julio said...

Posted on Mar 02 2010 00:04 And I (the person with the comment below) give it 4 stars.

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Julio said...

Posted on Mar 02 2010 00:03 What a Likeable -and especially well-acted film..(.I do not relate to the above commetns by others -at all! I obviously live in a different world!)
For us, the cinema was full, no one left it, and others agreed with the essential likability of the film... (sentimental? define what you mean by that term... The emotion was Real to me and esp there in the acting; that was one of the real gems of the film):
Plummer is excellent as Tolstoy (tho I don't know how true-to-Tolstoy this was), and McAvoy is at his absolute best - helped by how his charcater is so likeable (as was Masha -played by Kerry Condon), -so good in fact that character was SUGGESTED by what they did, how they said things, etc. I felt I 'knew' them very well.
I think it is a film about Love - and Tolstoy & wife I feel really do Love each other, almost too much His wife's tantrums almost coming out of the solidity and richness of that, like a spoilt child?... I don't know...
Their relationship is juxtaspoed with the dark figures around them.
It is an Escape into a different world, where Totlstoy is shown as a Benevolent (although imperfect) figure.
It is not the most profound & poignant film I've ever seen by any means, but is a joyous 145mins.
Ignore that person below me, and Go see!

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Dicky said...

Posted on Feb 23 2010 00:28 This film’s a bit of a turkey. There are some great actors here, some great scenery, good costumes … but, strewth, it’s a boring film. There were nine of us in the cinema, and one walked out. I felt tempted to walk out several times, but kept reminding myself both Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren have been nominated for Oscars for their roles in this one, and it’d probably get better. Sorry if you’re reading this Christopher and Helen, but I think your nominations were to make up the numbers.
.
Avoid at all costs – unless there’s nothing else showing. Anywhere. In the world.

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david glowacki said...

Posted on Feb 22 2010 23:41 horribly sentimental and romantic film with symphonic overlay of music.Some decent acting some poor.Mirren spends the whole film repeating the same scene of angst again and again.The whole thing was okay but a bit daft and unrealistic

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soe said...

Posted on Feb 22 2010 19:54 Love makes the world go round!

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Evie said...

Posted on Feb 21 2010 20:17 A competent period drama with a first rate cast. Its filmed with panache and I cried at the ending.

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ax said...

Posted on Feb 20 2010 11:31 Pants!

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