Written and Directed by Greg Pritikin
Starring:
Chevy Chase as Al Hart
Richard Dreyfuss as Buddy Green
Andie MacDowell as Doris Montgomery
George Wallace as Johnny Sunshine
Kate Micucci as Jeannie
Rated TV-MA for language and drug use.
Runtime: 98 minutes
When I saw that Netflix was releasing a movie starring Chevy Chase and Richard Dreyfuss, words could not describe how excited I was. I loved watching these comic geniuses when I was growing up and I made it a point to watch all of their movies. I don’t recall the pair making a movie together, so I was that much more excited to see them working together for the first time. Also, I don’t think either actor has starred in anything big in quite some time. I started The Last Laugh with the anticipation of laughing throughout, but the laughs only came in spurts. At least I got to laugh from time to time, though.
The story is about a former talent manager named Al Hart (Chase) who dreads retirement and living in a retirement community. Al’s well-meaning granddaughter Jeannie (Micucci) talks him into it because she doesn’t want him to be alone. Al gives it a chance, but only to satisfy her. Upon arrival, Al sees that his old buddy (aptly named Buddy [Dreyfuss]) is living there too. Al and Buddy go way back – Al was Buddy’s manager when Buddy was a stand-up comedian. You would think Al would be right at home with an old friend. Unfortunately, this feeling doesn’t last long. An ambulance pulling up to the front doors becomes a nightly occurrence when the other residents have medical emergencies or injure themselves in a fall. All of this serves only to remind Al that he is getting older, which just makes him more miserable.
When Al sees that Buddy has some comedic spark left in him, whether he’s making wisecracks or giving a humorous color commentary on life, Al wants to get Buddy back on stage. Al books a few gigs through old connections and the two go on a road trip. The real hilarity of the movie lies in the stand-up jokes that Buddy makes and the unexpected obstacles the pair encounters. Whether it’s Buddy’s marijuana supply running short, or the two spending a night in jail, these unfortunate, yet hilarious events are the meat and potatoes of this comedy.
However, one subplot that didn’t make much sense to me was the relationship between Al and Doris (MacDowell). I’ve always loved Andie MacDowell in everything, but she just didn’t belong in this film. Her character Doris is a free-spirited woman Al picks up from their stop in Kansas. She introduces Al to drugs, which is funny after Al’s repeated refusals of Buddy’s drug of choice.
There is a sequence where Al has a drug-induced hallucination in which Buddy is singing a musical onstage. Al finds himself on stage with Doris, who is dressed like she is performing in Chicago. This prolonged sequence just didn’t make much sense to me. It didn’t belong in the film like the drug sequences did in The Big Lebowski (1998). At least those had a purpose. Since Al said before that he hates musicals, it had the potential to be a funny scene, but it flopped.
Don’t get me wrong – I am not shaming the film entirely because of that sequence. It still had its laughs and heart. The relationship between Al and Buddy was fun to watch because they fed off each other so well. It would be great to see them together again. I know they’re starting to get up there in age, but better late than never, right? The Last Laugh had the potential to be a great comedy, but it fell short. It was as if the recipe had all the right ingredients…but they just weren’t put together correctly.
2.5/4 stars
