The Last Act DVD review

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An actor in crisis who gets locked out of his theatre in his undies? It’s Birdman, right? No, actually. Barry Levinson’s take on Philip Roth’s novel The Humbling (the film’s original title, incidentally, before this rather generic UK re-titling) sees Al Pacino play Simon Axler, a Shakespearean thesp who loses the love of his craft, drifts in and out of fantasy then gets his mojo back via Greta Gerwig’s lesbian.

Doubtless, the film suffers next to Birdman’s flights-offancy, but Pacino packs a punch, the support includes Dianne Wiest and Dylan Baker, and there is sly comedy amid the melancholia.

Extras:

  • Featurette

More info

DVD release4 May 2015
DirectorBarry Levinson
Starring"Al Pacino","Charles Grodin","Greta Gerwig"
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Freelance writer

James Mottram is a freelance film journalist, author of books that dive deep into films like Die Hard and Tenet, and a regular guest on the Total Film podcast. You'll find his writings on 12DOVE and Total Film, and in newspapers and magazines from across the world like The Times, The Independent, The i, Metro, The National, Marie Claire, and MindFood.