eschetic-2 Sometimes coming to a film late (either during an actual screening - SOMEWHERE IN TIME is immensely better if you see the first 40 minutes *after* the last hour - or long after it first opens, like my exposure to the 2004 film THE LAST SHOT today) can be an advantage. When you've never heard of a film with stars (ok, mostly TV stars) like Matthew Broderick, Alec Baldwin, Toni Colletti, Tony Shaloub, Calista Flockart and Ray Liotta, you have to figure that it had to be a minor piece - possibly a "straight to TV or DVD" release (seven months after a limited U.S. release, that is exactly what happened to THE LAST SHOT) and standards are appropriately reduced.Catching it on TV, it was easy to get caught up in the fun of the expert cast giving their all to a borderline farce based on the actual events surrounding the FBI getting involved (without telling the rest of the cast, crew or creative staff) in making a fake movie as a sting to capture a mafia big. The basic idea has potential but given the cast of expert comedians, the film makers concentrate more on the farcical aspects of movie making than the irony of the fake nature of the project. You can get an idea of the sort of potential they had (bearing in mind the then well known death of actor Vic Morrow under the blades of a falling helicopter) by reading the comment on these boards dated 16 June 2006 entitled "behind the scenes story." For most of the film's length it's easy to become pleasantly engrossed in the amusing character stories - especially Broderick's writer/director and Baldwin's increasingly obsessed FBI agent/producer. The only let down - and the film makers are even able to give it a surprisingly touching coda - is when Ray Liotta's FBI man tells Baldwin that the goal of the mission has been achieved and the "picture" is being shut down - JUST as they are getting set up to make the first and, as it turns out, last shot of the supposed movie (hence the title). It can't help but be a letdown for the audience which has come to root for the characters to overcome the craziness surrounding them and get the movie made. "Cinematicus Interruptus" ...and yet there is that coda in which the actual writers and directors of THE LAST SHOT give all the characters hope and possible happy endings. Whether this is going to add up to a happy ending for the viewer depends on the viewer, but the journey is very nice.

garyvanhorn The Last Shot is a charming and inventive comedy starring Alec Baldwin and Matthew Broderick. Baldwin plays an FBI agent that has gone undercover as a Hollywood producer in order to take down the mob. Matthew Broderick is the unknowing writer/director hired by Baldwin to make the movie. Things quickly get out of hand and the movie goes from a cover story to a multi-picture deal backed by the FBI. Baldwin loses himself in his cover and begins to work in earnest with Broderick to make the film actually happen.The humor is clever and the film pokes fun at Hollywood and the movie industry in general. Joan Cusack has a wonderful part as an overstressed Hollywood producer that the FBI calls in for advice on how to make a film that they don't actually intend to make. The movie becomes ever more funny as Baldwin desperately tries to get the film made while still catching the mobsters he was after in the first place. The desire to make the film is so infectious that even the mob ends up wanting a piece of the action. The Last Shot is very light and funny but there is just a hint of sadness to it. In all it is a quality comedy and I recommend it.

MLDinTN Alec Baldwin in it, whom I can't stand. In the movie, Baldwin(Joe) is a FBI agent who plays the role of a movie producer in order to try to get racketeering charges against mobsters. He goes to LA and finds Steven, a wanna be movie writer/director. He tells Steven he would like to produce his script, Arizona. Steven is thrilled. Then he finds out it will be filled in Rhode Island when the background is the desert. So, they go to RI and look at all these outdoor sceneries saying how they will make it into a desert. That part was funny.Joe gets caught up in the film and really wants to make the movie. He keeps talking his bosses into extended the scheme in order to get more charges filed. He starts to care about Steven and the film and you know it's going to be sad when Steven learns the truth.FINAL VERDICT: An ironic tale of Hollywood and how desperate people are to be a star. It's got some laughs, but it isn't something special. I only gave it a 5 because Alec Baldwin is so annoying.

Jason Platt Matthew Broderick is especially effective at this movie filled with warmth and a deep love for film-making. Yes, the script and many of the performances (notably Calista Flockhart and an unbilled Joan Cusack) poke fun at Hollywood, but what gets you glued to this film is that you really root for Matthew Broderick's character. He is one of the few male actors that I know of that isn't afraid to be sweet and gentle on screen. Without his ability to make his character so likable and believable, this film would not be nearly as good. I also think he as an exceptional ability to play a scene "straight" meaning serious while there is hilarity all around him. He is really believable in his part. There is some brusque language used that seems to be just thrown in and doesn't fit with the sweet nature of this film. Perhaps it is used so more people would come see it. But this is a minor flaw. I think that people who dream of being filmmakers themselves will especially enjoy this film.