Alexander the Last

Last updated

Alexander the Last
Alexander the Last film poster.jpg
Directed by Joe Swanberg
Written byJoe Swanberg
Produced by Noah Baumbach
Joe Swanberg
Anish Savjani
StarringJess Weixler
Justin Rice
Barlow Jacobs
Amy Seimetz
CinematographyJoe Swanberg
Edited byJoe Swanberg
Music byJustin Rice
Jo Schornikow
Distributed by IFC Films
Release date
  • March 14, 2009 (2009-03-14)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Alexander the Last is a 2009 American drama film written and directed by Joe Swanberg and starring Jess Weixler, Justin Rice, Barlow Jacobs, and Amy Seimetz. The film is about a married actress and her sister. The film premiered in 2009 and was released on DVD in 2010.

Contents

Plot summary

Alex is an actress who is attracted to her co-star Jamie, who stars alongside her in a local theater play. Alex is also married to an independent musician named Elliott. When Elliott goes on tour with his music, Alex lets Jamie sleep on her couch and flirts with him. Alex continues to fall in love with Jamie while Jamie has a relationship with her sister. The film concludes with Alex being remorseful for her actions.

Production

Swanberg stated that he worked "more collaboratively" with other people than he did on his earlier films. The producers were Anish Savhani and Noah Baumbach. Baumbach was Swanberg's main off-set creative consultant and he helped with the film after viewing the director's previous film Hannah Takes the Stairs . Working with Baumbach made Swanberg become a more self-confident director. Swanberg said that his films need to provide what does not exist, while also competing with the moments that are on YouTube and Facebook. He also said: "Alexander The Last is when I’ve reached my conclusions about certain things". [1] The film was shot with a HD Handycam. [2] The leads in the film are also the screenwriters. [3]

Release

Alexander the Last debuted at the South by Southwest film festival and as a part of IFC Films Festival Direct video on demand service on March 14, 2009. [4] The film was released on DVD in 2010 with some deleted scenes that are hosted by Swanberg. [5]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 12 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.9/10. [6]

Richard Brody of The New Yorker wrote: "Alexander the Last is a significant advance over Swanberg's other films; his camera work—and he does indeed do the camera work—is more careful and more controlled, and his images are by and large more expressive, not merely revelatory of performance (as they were, for the most part, in his earlier films). [4] Entertainment Weekly reviewer Owen Glieberman compared the film to other mumblecore films, saying, "But Alexander the Last is better than that – fresher, deeper, and more mysterious". [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>All That Heaven Allows</i> 1955 film by Douglas Sirk

All That Heaven Allows is a 1955 American drama romance film directed by Douglas Sirk, produced by Ross Hunter, and adapted by Peg Fenwick from a novel by Edna L. Lee and Harry Lee. It stars Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in a tale about the social complications that arise following the development of a romance between a well-to-do widow and a younger man, who owns a tree nursery. In 1995, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

<i>Meeting People Is Easy</i> 1998 music documentary

Meeting People Is Easy is a 1998 British documentary film by Grant Gee that follows the English rock band Radiohead on the world tour for their 1997 album OK Computer. It received positive reviews and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Film at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2000. It sold more than half a million copies on VHS and DVD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wes Anderson</span> American filmmaker (born 1969)

Wesley Wales Anderson is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative styles, and frequent use of ensemble casts. With themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families, critics have cited Anderson as an auteur. Three of his films have appeared in BBC Culture's 2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noah Baumbach</span> American filmmaker (born 1969)

Noah Baumbach is an American filmmaker. He is known for making light comedies set in New York City and his works are inspired by filmmakers such as Woody Allen and Whit Stillman. His frequent collaborators include Wes Anderson, Adam Driver, and his wife, Greta Gerwig.

<i>The Squid and the Whale</i> 2005 film by Noah Baumbach

The Squid and the Whale is a 2005 American independent comedy-drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach and produced by Wes Anderson. It tells the semi-autobiographical story of two boys in Brooklyn dealing with their parents' divorce in 1986. The film is named after the giant squid and sperm whale diorama housed at the American Museum of Natural History, which is seen in the film. The film was shot on Super 16 mm, mostly using a handheld camera.

<i>The Wraith</i> 1986 action/supernatural horror film by Mike Marvin

The Wraith is a 1986 independently made American action-fantasy film, produced by John Kemeny, written and directed by Mike Marvin, and starring Charlie Sheen, Sherilyn Fenn, Nick Cassavetes, and Randy Quaid. The film was theatrically released November 21, 1986, on just 88 screens in the United States by New Century Vista Film Company.

<i>Husbands</i> (film) 1970 film by John Cassavetes

Husbands is a 1970 American comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes. It stars Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk, and Cassavetes as three middle class men in the throes of a midlife crisis following the death of a close friend.

<i>To Sleep with Anger</i> 1990 film by Charles Burnett

To Sleep with Anger is a 1990 American black comedy film written and directed by Charles Burnett, and starring Danny Glover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Swanberg</span> American filmmaker

Joe Swanberg is an American independent filmmaker. Known for micro-budget films which make extensive use of improvisation, Swanberg is considered a major figure in the mumblecore film movement. His films often focus on relationships, sex, technology, and the filmmaking process. He is also known for his early collaborations with Greta Gerwig.

<i>The International</i> (2009 film) 2009 action thriller film

The International is a 2009 action thriller film directed by Tom Tykwer and written by Eric Warren Singer. Starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, the film follows an Interpol agent and an American district attorney who jointly investigate corruption within the IBBC, a fictional merchant bank based in Luxembourg. It serves organized crime and corrupt governments as a banker and as an arms broker. The bank's ruthless managers assassinate potential threats, including their own employees.

<i>Hannah Takes the Stairs</i> 2007 American film

Hannah Takes the Stairs is a 2007 American independent mumblecore film by Joe Swanberg. It has been described "as the defining movie of the low-budget, dialogue-driven 'mumblecore' movement."

Tokyo Twilight is a 1957 Japanese drama film by Yasujirō Ozu. It is the story of two sisters who are reunited with a mother who left them as children. The film is considered amongst Ozu's darkest postwar films; it is well received though lesser known. It is his last film shot in black and white.

<i>Frontier of the Dawn</i> 2008 French film

Frontier of the Dawn also Frontier of Dawn is a 2008 French drama film directed by Philippe Garrel. It stars Louis Garrel, Laura Smet, and Clémentine Poidatz. It tells the story of a photographer who is haunted by the ghost of his dead lover. It was screened at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival in competition. It was released in France on 8 October 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greta Gerwig</span> American actress and filmmaker (born 1983)

Greta Celeste Gerwig is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. Initially known for working on various mumblecore films, she has since expanded from acting in and co-writing independent films to directing major studio films. Gerwig was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world in 2018.

<i>While Were Young</i> (film) 2014 film by Noah Baumbach

While We're Young is a 2014 American comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Noah Baumbach. The film stars Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, and Amanda Seyfried; its plot centers on a New York–based documentary filmmaker and his wife, a couple in their 40s, who develop a friendship with a couple in their 20s. The film was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, and A24 released it in the United States on March 27, 2015. The film went on to gross more than any of Baumbach's previous films at the US box office.

<i>Frances Ha</i> 2012 film by Noah Baumbach

Frances Ha is a 2012 American black-and-white comedy-drama film directed by Noah Baumbach. It is written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, who also stars as Frances Halladay, a struggling 27-year-old dancer. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2012, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on May 17, 2013, by IFC Films.

<i>A Night in the Woods</i> 2011 British film

A Night in the Woods is a 2011 British found footage horror film written and directed by Richard Parry. The film premiered at the United Kingdom film festival Fright Fest in August 2011. A Night in the Woods was produced by Vertigo Films and stars Anna Skellern, Scoot McNairy, and Andrew Hawley.

<i>Art History</i> (film) 2011 American film

Art History is a 2011 American drama film directed by Joe Swanberg, written by Swanberg, Josephine Decker, and Kent Osborne. It stars Decker, Swanberg, Osborne, Adam Wingard, and Kris Swanberg as filmmakers whose lives are complicated by a graphic sex scene in an arthouse film.

<i>Little Sister</i> (2016 film) 2016 film by Zach Clark

Little Sister is a 2016 American dark comedy film written and directed by Zach Clark. The film stars Addison Timlin as a young nun visiting her childhood home after her brother's return from Iraq.

<i>Country Comfort</i> (TV series) 2021 American comedy streaming television series

Country Comfort is an American comedy television series created by Caryn Lucas that premiered on Netflix on March 19, 2021. In July 2021, the series was canceled after one season.

References

  1. Hernandez, Eugene (February 27, 2009). "Privacy & Intimacy Explored in Swanberg's "Alexander" (Interview + Trailer)". IndieWire. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  2. Keleman, Adam (March 12, 2009). "Review: Alexander the Last". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  3. Dargis, Manohla (March 13, 2009). "Line Between Real Life and Acting, Fuzzily Drawn". The New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Brody, Richard (March 12, 2009). "Alexander the Last". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  5. Phipps, Keith (March 24, 2010). "Alexander The Last". AV Club. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  6. "Alexander the Last". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  7. Glieberman, Owen (March 11, 2009). "Alexander the Last". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 18, 2020.