"LAST ORDERS" (2001) (Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Mild Heavy Minor Mild Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Minor None None None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Extreme Heavy Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Drama: Following his last request, three old friends and a man's adult son travel to the British seaside to scatter the ashes of their recently departed friend. PLOT: Ray (BOB HOSKINS), Vic (TOM COURTENAY) and Lenny (DAVID HEMMINGS) have been best friends for decades, usually hanging out together in pubs enjoying a drink or two while conversing about their lives and what life has thrown their way. The latest such complication has been the recent passing of their fourth friend, Jack Dodds (MICHAEL CAINE), the local butcher who died after a long illness. Since Jack's last wish was for his ashes to be spread at the seaside resort of Margate where he spent time with his wife, Ray, the gambler; Vic the funeral home director; Lenny, the former boxer; and Vince (RAY WINSTONE), Jack's adult son who choose to become a used car dealer rather than follow in the family business, all set out for a day's journey to accomplish that. Ray's widow, Amy (HELEN MIRREN), decides not to join them but rather visit her and Jack's mentally challenged adult daughter, June (LAURA MORELLI), who they put in a home when she was just a child. Yet, all of them are flooded with memories of their past, such as when young Jack (JJ FIELD) and young Amy (KELLY REILLY) first met, and when he and young Ray (ANATOL YUSEF) met in the war. As other memories including young Vic (CAMERON FITCH), young Lenny (NOLAN HEMMINGS) and young Vince (STEPHEN McCOLE) flood into their heads, the various friends try to deal with Jack's passing in their own unique ways as they set out to fulfill his last orders. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Unless they're fans of someone in the cast or well-made British dramas, it doesn't seem very likely. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For sexuality and some language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: BOB HOSKINS plays Jack's best friend who turns out to have had an affair with his wife in the past. A gambler, he also drinks and smokes, and tries to deal with Jack's passing and all of the memories that brings about. TOM COURTENAY plays a funeral home director who's seemingly the only one of the bunch who's leading a relatively well-adjusted and happy life. DAVID HEMMINGS plays a former boxer who acts as the agitator of the bunch. He uses some strong profanity, briefly picks a fight with Vince, and smokes and drinks. MICHAEL CAINE plays the deceased back when he was alive, a charismatic man who enjoyed drinking with his friends but was disappointed about the way certain things developed in his life, including that of his son not joining the family butcher business. HELEN MIRREN plays Jack's widow who decides not to join the men on their journey, but instead chooses to visit her mentally challenged adult daughter who's lived her entire life in an institute, and reminisce about their past, including her brief affair with Ray. RAY WINSTONE plays Jack's adult son who was never close to his parents after eventually being told about his origins. Nevertheless, he accompanies the friends on their journey to spread his father's ashes. He also drinks and smokes. LAURA MORELLI plays Jack and Amy's mentally challenged adult daughter. JJ FIELD plays Jack at a young age who visits prostitutes despite being married, wants his and Amy's mentally challenged daughter put into a home and forgotten about, and uses some strong profanity. ANATOL YUSEF plays young Ray who's talked into visiting a prostitute by Jack. KELLY REILLY plays Amy at a younger age who fools around with young Jack. CAMERON FITCH plays Vic at a younger age. NOLAN HEMMINGS plays young Lenny who uses some strong profanity. STEPHEN McCOLE plays Vince at a younger age. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated drama. Profanity consists of at least 7 "f" words, along with other expletives and some colorful phrases. Some sexually related dialogue is present, as are several sexual encounters (with nudity, movement and sounds) that are seen in various stages. Some women are also seen in revealing clothing and/or acting sensuously. Some of those encounters involve affairs/cheating, and other examples of bad/disrespectful behavior are present, as are various tense family moments (including the death of a spouse, the estranged relationship with a mentally challenged, adult child, and strained parent/child relationships). Various characters drink and/or smoke throughout the film, while two characters briefly fight. Several scenes with WWII violence are also present (but there's nothing graphic in such regards). Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific examples of the content contained in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Ray has a drink, as do others in a bar, including Lenny and Vic who join him. In a flashback, the four men and others drink in the bar. Various people drink. We see another flashback to all four men, Vince, and others drinking in the bar, and some of the men appear a bit tipsy. The men drink in another flashback. The men drink in a bar. In the past, Vince and Ray drink, and Vince then pours more whiskey for them. The guys drink again in the past. In a flashback, various people drink. Miscellaneous people drink in a bar. The guys drink beer and Vic has scotch. Young Jack and others drink. Young Jack drinks from a flask and a comment is made about being "pissed" (drunk). The guys go into a tavern for drinks. BLOOD/GORE We see a dead body in a coffin, but beyond being dead, it's not bloody or gory. We see some vomit on young Vince and objects around him after he gets sick while riding in the back of a meat wagon. We hear Lenny and Ray urinating. In the past during the war, we see a man with some bloody cuts on his face. We see some partially carved pig carcasses in a butcher's market. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE In the past, and upset about their daughter, Jack purposefully drops a teddy bear that Amy won into the sea. He then says that they should put their mentally challenged daughter into a home and forget about her, and that's pretty much what he does (Amy still goes to see her, but not that often). It is stated, however, that that's what one did back then. Lenny comes off as something of an agitator, especially in regards to Vince. For those concerned with abortion related issues, we hear that a guy got a young woman pregnant and some comments are made about her having to "get rid of it" but we don't know if that happened. Young Jack pulls out a package of condoms and a comment is made about a "tart's tackle." He then mentions something about "different place, different rules" (as far as going to see a prostitute while married). Some of the men make sexist comments toward women, such as "Fancy that" as two attractive women walk by. In the past, we see some boys teasing/taunting young Vince. We hear that Ray and Amy had an affair in the past. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" could possibly also come across as unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers. GUNS/WEAPONS Rifles: Carried by some men in a WWII flashback. We see some archival footage of a plane strafing a ship and then an explosion inside that ship. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Due to some occasionally thick accents, some of what's said can't be understood. Phrases: "What does it f*cking mean?" "Poor bastards," "Bitch," "Didn't have all of her marbles" (mentally challenged), "Bloody" (adjective), "Bloody hell," "Buggered," "Bollocks," "Take a leak" (urinate), "Pissed" (drunk), "Mucking around," "Where the hell's that?" "Tosser" and "Nut house." We see a young man with a tattoo on his arm. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY Due to some occasionally thick accents, some of what's said can't be understood. That said, there are at least 7 "f" words (with another possible one), 1 "s" word, 1 slang term using male genitals ("c*ck"), 2 hells, 2 uses of "bollocks," 6 uses of "Jesus," 3 of "Oh my God," 2 of "God" and 1 use each of "Jesus Christ" and "Oh Jesus" as exclamations. SEX/NUDITY Due to some occasionally thick accents, some of what's said can't be understood. We see a woman in a very short and formfitting skirt at Vince's dealership several times. Jack makes some flirtatious comments toward younger women in a bar, including telling the others to look at one woman's form, and telling her not to come on to them since they're married men. In the past, Jack and Amy catch young Vince staring at a young woman's bare leg (that she then covers) and after voice over comments are made about him growing up fast, we then see that they're making him ride in the back of a meat wagon. Young Amy wears a dress that shows some cleavage. Jack makes some sort of what seems like a sexually related comment about a nurse in a hospital, but we couldn't understand all of what he was saying. We see young Vince and a woman fooling around, with her in her bra and then out of it (we see bare breasts) and he removes her panties (but we don't see anything due to the camera angle and positioning of her body). He kisses down her body and is on top of her between her legs (he still has his underwear on), and we see various views of her bare breasts. We later hear that he got her pregnant. Ray pulls Jack down during some WWII action and Jack realizes he was nearly shot in the crotch (and a comment is made about nearly being shot in his "wife's best friend"). A miscellaneous waitress shows some cleavage. In the past at a dance, Vic tells a woman he's in the funeral business and she somewhat playfully states that he's then used to "handling bodies." Young Jack pulls out a package of condoms and a comment is made about a "tart's tackle." He then mentions something about "different place, different rules" (as far as going to see a prostitute while married). We then see young Jack and Ray standing before some available prostitutes, one of whom shows her bare breasts. Ray then chooses one and we then her sexual sounds (from her as well as that of their bodies slapping together) and see movement and nudity (his bare butt, her breasts) as he's on top of her having sex. After they're done, Jack makes a joke and the foreign woman states that Ray was good and had a "big c*ck" (as she feels his clothed crotch in front of others). In a flashback, we see young Amy sitting before Jack with her legs spread (wearing a dress and we don't see anything beyond some cleavage), acting a bit seductively toward him. Later, we see their figures inside some sort of large, hanging and open air burlap sack where they're apparently fooling around (his hand is on one edge, her leg and foot on another and we hear some playful giggling). We then hear that June was conceived during that encounter. We hear that Ray and Amy had an affair in the past, and we see them briefly kiss for the first time in a flashback. We then see her starting to take off her top, thus implying that they had sex in his camper. A more present day comment is then made about them having six weeks of sex. SMOKING Lenny smokes more than 5 times, Ray, Vince and young Jack smoke several times (Vince once with a cigar), and various miscellaneous characters also smoke. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Jack's death obviously affects Amy. In the past, Jack says that they should put their mentally challenged daughter into a home and forget about her, and that's pretty much what he does (Amy still goes to see her, but not that often). It is stated, however, that that's what one did back then. In the past, Jack isn't happy that Vince isn't staying with the family business (with the name of the butcher shop being "Dodds and Son"). We learn that Ray is divorced and that he hasn't seen or had contact with his adult daughter in quite some time. We see some flashback footage leading up to the martial split, including the wife stating she doesn't want to see their daughter again if she leaves for Australia. When he later announces that he bought a camper for them, the wife announces that's the last straw. We see a scene where young Vince learns he's not Jack and Amy's biological son, but rather was unofficially adopted from them after being rescued from a burning building where his family was killed. Amy says her final goodbye to June (who shows no signs of knowing what she's talking about) after fifty years of visits (that were unfruitful or satisfying for Amy). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Friendship. Fulfilling a dying person's last wishes/orders. Affairs. Children not following in line with their parents' plans for them. The approach in the past of dealing with mentally challenged children (here Jack and Amy's daughter was put in a home and Amy only occasionally visited her). VIOLENCE We see some WWII action with explosions and men shooting guns. During some WWII action, Ray pulls Jack down from the line of fire, but Jack may have been hit in the shoulder (he comments, however, on nearly being shot in the crotch). We see some archival footage of a plane strafing a ship and then an explosion inside that ship. While mad at him for stopping at a farm, Lenny struggles with Vince and then knocks him to the ground. Vince gets up and Lenny then punches him several times, and the two struggle again with Vince eventually knocking Lenny to the ground. Lenny then goes after Vince again, hitting him several more times. Vince then knocks Lenny to the ground again. We see a building burning from a German rocket attack in WWII (that reportedly killed various people). Reviewed February 15, 2002 / Posted March 15, 2002

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