A veteran D.C. journalist loses the thread of her own narrative when a guilt-propelled errand for her father thrusts her from byline to unwitting subject in the very story she's trying to break. Adapted from Joan Didion's namesake novel.... (Full plot summary below)
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A veteran D.C. journalist loses the thread of her own narrative when a guilt-propelled errand for her father thrusts her from byline to unwitting subject in the very story she's trying to break. Adapted from Joan Didion's namesake novel.
Leave your thoughts about The Last Thing He Wanted.
| The PlaylistJason BaileyThe 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. |
| PolygonKaren HanLike The Snowman, The Last Thing He Wanted fails to give its audience all the clues necessary to form a coherent picture, and flops in spite of what should be a killer director/cast combination. |
| Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinThere’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. |
| Film ThreatLorry KiktaThe Last Thing He Wanted is trying to be too many things at once. It goes off on several tangents that don’t ever conclude. |
| RogerEbert.comNick AllenDee 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. |
| The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThis all contributes to the impression that the director’s interest in the project came down to just about everything except the plot. Which is understandable given the source material, but doesn’t excuse the fact that The Last Thing He Wanted sputters on most of the basic terms it sets for itself. Still, there is at least some nobility to its failure. |
| The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe Last Thing He Wanted is a thing that no one wanted. |
| IndieWireKate ErblandNothing connects, nothing gels, and every thread is lost. |
| TimeStephanie ZacharekThe Last Thing He Wanted makes some kind of sense at the end. But getting through its long, unwieldy middle is an undertaking — and not even a serious-minded political thriller like this one should feel so much like an assignment. |
| The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe big problem with the movie isn’t the muddle, but the strain. |
