Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 83% of 12 critics' reviews are positive. [8] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [9]
Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "Last Take is a gut-wrenching reminder of a terrible tragedy that happened because mistakes were up and down the line, mistakes that were easily preventable if only the proper and safe measures had been taken." [10] Joe Leyden of Variety wrote: "Director Rachel Mason’s Hulu documentary about her late friend is evenhanded and impactful in its pursuit of truth beyond tabloid headlines." [11]
Natalia Winkelman of The New York Times criticized the film's approach writing: "Despite testimony from Hutchins’s friends that repeatedly references her artistry, Mason rarely incorporates clips of Hutchins’s cinematography outside “Rust.” [12] Additional criticism of its approach was made by Joel Souza at a post-screening Q&A for the film directed towards director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz, stating: "I hoped it might have a little more Halyna in it or been a little more about Halyna. I know that was your original intention when you talked to me about it. And I could tell when we would talk over the years in the intervening time that you were under some pressure.”" [13] Mason in an interview responded by stating: "Initially, it was a more independent, keeping-your-head down, doing-what-you-want kind of film. Then it became more commercial. Not just commercial—there were absolute, pressing questions the public had. It was a news story. The public is asking these things. If we don’t try to answer them, there will be a question hanging over the film." [14] Sam Adams of Slate wrote in his review: "If the movie has a villain, it’s those same commercial incentives." [15]
