The Last Good Time
Encyclopedia
The Last Good Time is a 1994 drama film
, released in early 1995, starring Armin Mueller-Stahl
, Olivia d'Abo
, Maureen Stapleton
and Lionel Stander
in his final theatrical role. Directed by Bob Balaban
, the film was based on a 1984 novel of the same name by Richard Bausch
.
apartment building at night, where a young couple
on the top floor are seen arguing. Charlotte (d'Abo) throws a bag out of her window, with some contents landing
on the window sill of downstairs neighbor Joseph (Mueller-Stahl). Joseph takes some of the items, which includes a locker
key, and by the next day, Charlotte and her boyfriend Eddie (Adrian Pasdar
) have apparently vacated the premises.
Focus is then shifted towards Joseph, a widowed German
/Jewish violin
ist who lives a
simple yet structured everyday routine that includes writing in a journal about what he will wear, visiting Howard (Stander), an old friend at a nursing home
who is in the final stages of Alzheimer's disease
, trying to make arrangements on a tax debt, buying food at a discount grocery store
, and then returning home to read books and play his violin.
Charlotte returns to the apartment the following evening to recover missing contents from her bag, but notices her boyfriend's car pull up while doing so and quickly rushes into the building. She asks Joseph for a towel to dry off after the heavy rain, but subsequently collapses on his apartment floor. He
gives her a blanket and pillow and lets her sleep there.
After some hesitation, Joseph lets Charlotte stay in his apartment indefinitely. Despite
the age difference, the two slowly form a platonic bond; Joseph discusses his past violin career and
interest in philosophers; Charlotte reveals that her now former boyfriend Eddie was involved in
organized crime
and that the relationship was purely for financial reasons. Charlotte is additionally
impressed that Joseph - despite his age - could remember the words of philosophers, whereas her
former boyfriend - a one-time musician
- could barely remember "words to his own songs."
While the two opposites slowly forge a more intimate relationship, matters begin to change dramatically for
Joseph - due to tax collectors, he is forced to withdraw his life savings of $6000 from his bank account; his
old friend Howard dies, and upon returning home with Charlotte from a bar one night, he finds his
apartment ransacked, his violin smashed and his entire life savings stolen. Frank (Kevin Corrigan
), Eddie's fellow gangster
,
had been following Charlotte around and traced her to Joseph's apartment. Joseph then gives Charlotte
the missing locker key, the item Eddie and Frank were looking for. Charlotte angrily asks Joseph why he had
this all along but never gave it to her, and Joseph explains because he didn't want her to leave.
Joseph, back to being the lonely man he was before, slowly reconciles with his elderly neighbor Ida (Stapleton),
who he introduced to Charlotte and Howard, but had also been unfriendly towards for being too inquisitive about his life.
Charlotte returns a few days later informing Joseph she sold the locker key to one of Eddie's criminal associates for $7000.
She gives Joseph $6000 of that money - the sum Joseph lost - and keeps the remaining $1000 for herself to start her life over, claiming she
knows a friend in the city who owes her a favor. The two kiss and say goodbye.
The same morning, Joseph knocks on Ida's door and asks if she would like to accompany him on a NYC ferry
the next day. Ida is interested, and Joseph agrees to pick her up the next morning.
Additionally, the film won awards at France
's Avignon Film Festival
and Long Island
's Hamptons International Film Festival
.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
, released in early 1995, starring Armin Mueller-Stahl
Armin Mueller-Stahl
Armin Mueller-Stahl is a German film actor, painter, writer and musician.-Early life:Mueller-Stahl was born in Tilsit, East Prussia...
, Olivia d'Abo
Olivia d'Abo
Olivia d'Abo is an English actress and singer-songwriter, best known for portraying Karen Arnold in The Wonder Years and Nicole Wallace, the recurring villain in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Acting career:...
, Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton was an American actress in film, theater and television.-Early life:Stapleton was born Lois Maureen Stapleton in Troy, New York, the daughter of Irene and John P. Stapleton, and grew up in a strict Irish American Catholic family...
and Lionel Stander
Lionel Stander
Lionel Jay Stander was an American actor in films, radio, theater and television.-Early life and career:Lionel Stander was born in The Bronx, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants, the first of three children...
in his final theatrical role. Directed by Bob Balaban
Bob Balaban
Robert Elmer "Bob" Balaban is an American actor, author and director.-Personal life:Balaban was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eleanor and Elmer Balaban, who owned several movie theatres and later was a pioneer in cable television...
, the film was based on a 1984 novel of the same name by Richard Bausch
Richard Bausch
Richard Bausch is an American novelist and short story writer, and Moss Chair of Excellence in English at the University of Memphis. He has written eleven novels, eight short story collections, and one volume of poetry and prose....
.
Plot summary
The film opens showing a small New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
apartment building at night, where a young couple
on the top floor are seen arguing. Charlotte (d'Abo) throws a bag out of her window, with some contents landing
on the window sill of downstairs neighbor Joseph (Mueller-Stahl). Joseph takes some of the items, which includes a locker
Locker
Locker may refer to:* Locker , various kinds of storage compartment or container* Footlocker , a storage box* In nautical usage, a "locker" may be a storage place that in other environments would not be referred to as a locker, such as cupboards on board ships for keeping stores, anchor lockers,...
key, and by the next day, Charlotte and her boyfriend Eddie (Adrian Pasdar
Adrian Pasdar
Adrian Kayvan Pasdar is an American actor, voice artist, and film director. He is known for playing Jim Profit on the TV series Profit, for his roles in Near Dark, Carlito's Way, Mysterious Ways and as Nathan Petrelli on Heroes. Additionally, he directed the feature film Cement...
) have apparently vacated the premises.
Focus is then shifted towards Joseph, a widowed German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
/Jewish violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist who lives a
simple yet structured everyday routine that includes writing in a journal about what he will wear, visiting Howard (Stander), an old friend at a nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
who is in the final stages of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, trying to make arrangements on a tax debt, buying food at a discount grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
, and then returning home to read books and play his violin.
Charlotte returns to the apartment the following evening to recover missing contents from her bag, but notices her boyfriend's car pull up while doing so and quickly rushes into the building. She asks Joseph for a towel to dry off after the heavy rain, but subsequently collapses on his apartment floor. He
gives her a blanket and pillow and lets her sleep there.
After some hesitation, Joseph lets Charlotte stay in his apartment indefinitely. Despite
the age difference, the two slowly form a platonic bond; Joseph discusses his past violin career and
interest in philosophers; Charlotte reveals that her now former boyfriend Eddie was involved in
organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
and that the relationship was purely for financial reasons. Charlotte is additionally
impressed that Joseph - despite his age - could remember the words of philosophers, whereas her
former boyfriend - a one-time musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
- could barely remember "words to his own songs."
While the two opposites slowly forge a more intimate relationship, matters begin to change dramatically for
Joseph - due to tax collectors, he is forced to withdraw his life savings of $6000 from his bank account; his
old friend Howard dies, and upon returning home with Charlotte from a bar one night, he finds his
apartment ransacked, his violin smashed and his entire life savings stolen. Frank (Kevin Corrigan
Kevin Corrigan
Kevin Fitzgerald Corrigan is an American actor who has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s.-Life and career:Corrigan was born in The Bronx, New York to an Irish-American father and a Puerto Rican mother...
), Eddie's fellow gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
,
had been following Charlotte around and traced her to Joseph's apartment. Joseph then gives Charlotte
the missing locker key, the item Eddie and Frank were looking for. Charlotte angrily asks Joseph why he had
this all along but never gave it to her, and Joseph explains because he didn't want her to leave.
Joseph, back to being the lonely man he was before, slowly reconciles with his elderly neighbor Ida (Stapleton),
who he introduced to Charlotte and Howard, but had also been unfriendly towards for being too inquisitive about his life.
Charlotte returns a few days later informing Joseph she sold the locker key to one of Eddie's criminal associates for $7000.
She gives Joseph $6000 of that money - the sum Joseph lost - and keeps the remaining $1000 for herself to start her life over, claiming she
knows a friend in the city who owes her a favor. The two kiss and say goodbye.
The same morning, Joseph knocks on Ida's door and asks if she would like to accompany him on a NYC ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
the next day. Ida is interested, and Joseph agrees to pick her up the next morning.
Critical response
The limited release indy film received a plurality of positive reviews from critics, earning a "89% Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes.Additionally, the film won awards at France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's Avignon Film Festival
Avignon Film Festival
Avignon Film Festival is also known as the Rencontres Cinématographiques Franco-Américain d'Avignon. The festival used to be called the French/American Film Workshop.The festival took place in Avignon, France every year and was devoted to promoting Film...
and Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
's Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to provide a forum for independent filmmakers from around the world to express their vision. The Festival is traditionally held for five days in mid-October in theatre venues from Montauk to Southampton and attracts roughly 15,000 visitors annually...
.
External links
- The Last Good Time at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...