And while edgy political satire was quite popular in the seventies and eighties, it almost died in the nineties. Well, The Last Supper is here to balance things out. This is a black comedy with a pretty controversial approach. However, exactly because of that approach it is still worth watching almost thirty years later. And you’ll see that nothing much has changed since then.
Now, I have to admit that The Last Supper feels a bit contrived and pretentious. Especially if you’re on the “other side of the political spectrum”. You can feel they were hoping the severity of the situations and emotions would cover up all the plot holes and unrealistic decision-making. The story is quite simple if you look at it from a neutral perspective. So, if you’re expecting a masterpiece, you won’t find it here. If, however, you’re looking to have some political fun, you’re bound to have some.
I’ve watched The Last Supper in 2022 and it still feels relevant. I hope it can help us to realize that our political beliefs are not the problem, it’s something much more deeper. Still, you can remain on the surface and enjoy all the bizarre situations and dark humor. The characters are also very interesting. And I’m sure you’re going to recognize some of their rhetoric. Perhaps you have a friend or a family member who thinks the same.
Five friends all live together in one big house, enjoying their lives as graduate school students. They are all liberal and left-leaning, so when they have Zack, a racist truck driver, over for dinner, things are going to heat up. And after heating up they’re going to go completely out of control. This will leave Jude, Pete, Paulie, Marc, and Luke with a moral dilemma. A moral dilemma they’re going to solve in no time.
When it comes to the cast, The Last Supper boasts quite a few familiar names. Cameron Diaz was great as Jude along with Courtney B. Vance as Luke. We also have the immortal Bill Paxton and Ron Perlman in supporting roles. The dialogue is quite snappy and well-written. Perhaps the delivery was too frenetic at times but I guess that’s how it had to be. With a runtime of just under ninety minutes, this is a short and sweet ride.
If you’re looking for something for more political satire, I recommend you check out The Hunt. It’s more action-oriented but it still delivers. Very Bad Things, also starring Cameron Diaz is another dark comedy but without any political undernotes. I want to say that movies like this can help us look at things from a different perspective and that they’re thought-provoking but I really don’t think that. I mean, here we are in 2022 and things are as fucked up as they ever were. So, let’s just have some fun while we can.
Director: Stacy Title
Writer: Dan Rosen
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Ron Eldard, Annabeth Gish, Jonathan Penner, Courtney B. Vance, Ron Perlman, Bill Paxton
Fun Facts: All five of the “liberals” are named, in some form, after apostles.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113613/
