Synopsis
At the turning point of the Iran-Contra affair, Elena McMahon, a fearless investigative journalist covering the 1984 US presidential campaign, puts herself in danger when she abandons her assigned task in order to fulfill the last wish of her ailing father, a mysterious man whose past activities she barely knows.
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Cast
- Anne HathawayElena McMahon
- Ben AffleckTreat Morrison
- Rosie PerezAlma Guerrero
- Willem DafoeRichard McMahon
- Edi GathegiJones
- Mel RodriguezBarry Sedlow
- Onata AprileCat McMahon
- Toby JonesPaul Schuster
- Carlos LealMax Epperson aka Bob Weir
- Ben ChaseMax Berquist
Recommendations
- 75
The Playlist
The film that follows is, admittedly, a bit of a mess. It’s also compelling, energetic, and well-acted, finding one of our most intriguing filmmakers all but flinging herself outside of her comfort zone. - 60
Los Angeles Times
There’s some overreach and muddle here — you wouldn’t want a pop quiz on the plot — but “Last Thing” remains an intriguing, visually diverting piece, well shot by Bobby Bukowski. - 45
Film Threat
The Last Thing He Wanted is trying to be too many things at once. It goes off on several tangents that don’t ever conclude. - 42
IndieWire
Nothing connects, nothing gels, and every thread is lost. - 40
The Guardian
The Last Thing He Wanted is a thing that no one wanted. - 40
The Hollywood Reporter
The emotional and logistical struggles of our heroine, played with sweaty determination by Anne Hathaway, are the film's clearest through-line; but after the intimate clarity of her debut, Pariah, and the wrenching Delta drama Mudbound, this is a pedigreed misfire. - 40
Variety
The human dimension that gives the film brief jolts of energy never takes root. Instead, audiences are left grappling with a stuffy maze, albeit one presented with handsome production values and a filmmaker’s striking visual touch. - 38
RogerEbert.com
Dee Rees’ The Last Thing He Wanted is incomprehensible to an almost impressive degree — usually when a movie's narrative gets so out of control, it over-corrects itself at some point before the end. But not here.
