The Last Word, review
2008, R, **.5
Starring: Wes Bentley, Winona Ryder, Ray Romano
“The Last Word,” is an independent film about Evan (Wes Bentley), a suicide note writer. He makes his living writing the last words of individuals that believe that there is no point to living anymore and their contributions to society are over. Over the course of weeks Bentley gets to know his clients and begins composing lengthy notes that will make their friends and loved ones believe that this is truly what they wanted to do and that they were so heartbroken they needed to end their own life.
One of Bentley's clients, a well-respected Hollywood composer, Ray Romano, begins to befriend Bentley almost subtly crying out for help wanting a friend even though he persists on having Evan write his suicide note. It's unclear if Abel (Ray Romano, TV’s Everybody Loves Raymond, TV’s Men of a Certain Age) really wants to kill himself or not, however it's apparent that he starts to realize that there is more to life and that just because he is severely depressed over the way his life is going, that there might be a way out – note: he asks Evan if he's ever thought about throwing things into a gigantic dump zone or trash pit area? Then we kind of looks at him oddly and says no not really; Romano basically is inferring that maybe throwing things off a cliff and watching them bust and break apart would help relieve some tension and anger and overall frustration that people experience when going through depression.
One of Evan’s clients who he writes a suicide note for actually goes through with the suicide. Evan attends the funeral (a few yards away) and the sister of the young man that killed himself happens to be Charlotte (Winona Ryder, Girl Interrupted, Heathers) walks over and talks to Evan. She asks he is and he merely states that I went to school with your brother, which is a complete lie of course. They exchanged phone numbers and start to see one another and start developing a romantic relationship. Ryder finally finds out Egret is not really a screenwriter he writes suicide notes for people. She becomes very angry and irritated at the fact that she believes he let her brother die, when in fact her brother was severely depressed, and even as callous as it sounds Wes Bentley (American Beauty, P2, Ghost Rider) was merely doing his job for his clients as he puts it.
Charlotte and Evan eventually go their own ways, and at the end of the movie Evan begins a new business with a former client. It puts a twist on the whole idea of why killing yourself is meaningless and is absolutely an insane thing to do. This romantic comedy/dark comedy/drama film points out not only a strange occupation for a writer, but it points out how some people are so depressed that they believe the world is caving in on them and there's a massive black hole they can't seem get out of, when in fact that’s simply not true.
This movie is not for everyone as the subject matter is a dark one, and it's a concept that I've never seen in a movie before, hence the reason for it being an independent film, and not marketed much unless you're a frequent visitor to IMDB.com or if you're a Wes Bentley fan. It's worth a watch if you're curious, and does make you see the light so to speak. Suicidal thoughts are not something to take lightly and if you're depressed you need to talk to someone whether it is a friend, psychologist or family member. This film is a pure example of the pressures of society and other issues that someone might be dealing with that make them think that there's no more to life, when in fact there's a whole world out there that everyone should explore and try to enjoy depending upon their circumstances or issues that they're grappling with.
