The Last Good Time (1994) Poster

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7/10
A good movie doesn't have to be a big movie.
FPMJR29 August 2001
I liked this little movie a lot. While the plot's eventual outcome seem obvious, watching the characters get there, especially "Joseph" is worth it.

While Joseph is 70 and his new boarder is an unkempt girl of 22 this is not a stupid or mawkish May/December love story. Look, just watch it if you have a chance.
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6/10
A touching drama about strange bedfellows for mature audiences
=G=1 April 2002
"The Last Good Time" tells of an elderly retired concert violinist (Mueller-Stahl) who lives on a meager pension alone in a modest flat and takes in a streetwise young woman (d'Abo) on the run from a scurrilous boyfriend. A bittersweet and poignant drama, "TLGT" shows the brief, tenuous, but beautiful coming together of two very opposite people with no more in common than their humanity. Well worth a look for the mature viewer.
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6/10
Slow, but good
Tito-831 March 1999
I had a bit of a mixed reaction to this film, but in the end, I feel that I have to recommend it, since it is so refreshing to see a film that is so leisurely paced. This is a well-made film, with a good story and solid performances, so it's the kind of movie where I would like to (but can't) overlook the major flaws. Unfortunately, the film isn't particularly memorable, and a film that is this slow does tend to make me watch the clock a little more often than usual. As you may have guessed, this is the kind of film for people who prefer to hear conversations instead of explosions in movies they watch. And while I wouldn't say that this is exceedingly effective as far as dialogue-driven films go, it does have two likable leads that make this a movie that is hard not to like.
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Unusual, sweet, humanity affirming movie.
djexplorer19 June 2001
I only tuned into this movie on cable half or 1/3 way through it, so normally I wouldn't venture a comment. However, there are only two, so I will. I'd really like to see the whole thing through.

This is a charming, life affirming movie. It operates well outside the stereotypes.

It's the seventy year old, Armin Mueller-Stahl, who carries the movie. We are all aware of older men, maybe even this old, who charm younger women. But when they are this old they always need to be either seriously rich, or seriously famous and accomplished in movie land, and for that matter, general popular culture. Mueller-Stahl is none of those things -- although he is well educated, thoughtful, and a talented violin player -- a minor artist. What he is most of all though is a really good listener -- and someone who at root is kind and loving -- even if he had tended to withdraw into a cynical and loner shell.

Of course the 20 something (Olivia D'Abo) has to be needy for there to be any chance of even a passing chemistry between them -- but she is. She gets beaten up by an abusive boyfriend who she knows is headed nowhere's ville with his lowlife criminal lifestyle. The Stahl - D'Abo relationship definitely is mostly father-daughter. But after his generosity, and concern, but lack of preachiness to her, she gives him what she knows will be a precious gift -- and it is.

A sweet movie.

(And I'm decades younger than Stahl.)
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10/10
the film treat problems like loneliness, sex, old age friendship
yanivli14 June 2003
this is a little very serious movie that you'll remember for a long time because of it's atmosphere. three very-good actors (surprisingly Olivia D'abo is the only one that act here simple and direct and very naturally) make it worth to see. I liked this movie because the film treat problems like loneliness, sex,old age, friendship and loyalty with very mature and quiet way.
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4/10
Delicate but really pointless
gazineo-110 April 2003
Delicate but pointless little drama about an old widower (Stahl) who lives in a small apartment in Brooklyn (New York) and starts by an accident of fate a brief relationship with a troubled young woman (D'Abo). The central idea of the movie - a discussion about love, solitude, passion and desire - is developed with good style by Mr Balaban - he really knows the job - but the final result is shallow dialogues, unconvincing situations, all this marred by a complete predictable and not original ending.

I give this a 4 (four).
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10/10
the film treat problems like loneliness, sex, old age friendship
yanivli14 June 2003
this is a little very serious movie that you'll remember for a long time because of it's athmosphere. three very-good actors (suprisingly Olivia d'abo is the only one that act here simple and direct and very naturely) make it worth to see. I liked this movie because the film treat problems like loneliness, sex,old age, friendship and loyalty with very mature and quiet way.
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1/10
"Worst movie ever."
Voivod66618 May 2002
I got this movie on pay per view late one night and the only reason I continued watching it was that I was trapped at work with nothing to do. This movie sucked beyond belief, snails move faster than the plot of this drivel develops. The director and writers should be run out of Hollywood on a rail for creating such garbage. Only watch this movie if you're suffering from insomnia, it's a sure cure for that.
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WELL ACTED SLOW DRAMA
steelslider19 June 2001
No car chases or crashes.

Limited sexual content could be deleted and the picture would not suffer.

Extremely well acted by the male lead, please note he was also cast in the Original "Jacob the Liar", a Cz film of the mid 70's only remade after the enormous popularity of "Life Is Beautiful"[almost identical storylines].

See this movie if you have the opportunity!
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9/10
An Honest Review
generationofswine3 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Well, it IS slow. I read that over and over and over again in the other IMDB reviews and I am not going to argue that at all.

It is a slow film, but, I don't necessarily find that to be a bad thing and in this case slow is more along the line of a movie that takes its time, and arguably has to given the budget. After all, this is nothing but story. That is kind of all they had.

It's certainly a story driven film and that is in fairly short supply. There aren't that many pure stories on the film any longer and since the Indie film market has all but crashed, they are fewer and further between.

And the story itself isn't uplifting, but it is real. Sure, the circumstances are a bit beyond belief, but the characters themselves are certainly real, you can see real people acting that way.

I can't go so far to say that it is heart warming. It seems like a mutual use relationship, in a way, but one that certainly comes to help each of the main characters through some rough patches in their lives.

I'm glad I watched it, I wouldn't mind watching it again, but in the end, if you don't have the patience to read a book you won't have the patience to watch this film either.
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Where's the sex?
Sam-28527 August 2001
The person that saw "so much sexuality" in this movie must have seen a different movie or a different version, since I saw no sexuality. Yes, there was a bit of touching, but most people would not call it sex, and it is very minimal. Other than that, there is a bit of nudity but nudity is not sexuality. Olivia d'Abo is sure cute. There are an abundance of things to enjoy a woman for, and it is those other (not sex) things that make Olivia fun to see in the movie, at least for us guys. I think it is unfortunate when people over-emphasize sex. It is a bit strange how Charlotte (Olivia's character) "presents" herself, but many such things in life are awkward.

So yes this is a cute movie; nothing spectacular, but worth watching. There is a bit of bad news at the end, but not much; nothing worse than at the end of Pollyanna.

I was not paying attention as much as I should have, so I am unclear about why her boyfriend (or his friends) were chasing her. Also, there is something about a key that I missed hearing about. So try to catch that stuff.
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