The Last Straw (1987 film)

Last updated
The Last Straw
Directed by Giles Walker
Screenplay by
  • Giles Walker
  • David Wilson
Produced by
  • Giles Walker
  • David Wilson
Starring
CinematographyAndrew Kitzanuk
Edited byDavid Wilson
Music byRobert Lauzon
Fernand Martel
Production
company
Release date
  • 1987 (1987)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The Last Straw is a Canadian comedy film, released in 1987. [1] Directed by Giles Walker and written by Walker and David Wilson, the film is a sequel to the films The Masculine Mystique and 90 Days . [2]

Contents

In The Last Straw, Alex (Sam Grana) and Laura (Fernanda Tavares) are now running the sperm donation business proposed in 90 Days, while Blue (Stefan Wodoslawsky) and Hyang-Sook (Christine Pak) are ready to start a family but have discovered that Blue is infertile. [2] Alex becomes embroiled in international espionage when foreign countries are willing to pay millions of dollars or even to commit kidnapping because his sperm is so highly prized, while Blue's infertility places a strain on his relationship with Hyang-Sook. [1]

The film was originally announced in 1986 as being slated to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987, [2] although it did not do so and instead premiered at the 1987 Festival of Festivals. [3] A short preview teaser was however screened at the Berlin International Film Festival. [4]

Critical reception

The film was less well received by critics than 90 Days. Ron Base of the Toronto Star wrote that the film "lacks any of the humor or insight into life and love in the urban '80s possessed by its predecessor", [5] while The Globe and Mail wrote that while the film "strives vigorously to be demented, farcical and surreal in the Monty Python mode", it succeeded only in being farcical, and that the film's climax "chops an already ragged premise into a celluloid shower". [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Barbarian Invasions</i> 2003 film by Denys Arcand

The Barbarian Invasions is a 2003 Canadian-French sex comedy-drama film written and directed by Denys Arcand and starring Rémy Girard, Stéphane Rousseau and Marie-Josée Croze. The film is a sequel to Arcand's 1986 film The Decline of the American Empire, continuing the story of the character Rémy, a womanizing history professor now terminally ill with cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denys Arcand</span> Canadian film director

Georges-Henri Denys Arcand is a French Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. His film The Barbarian Invasions won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2004. His films have also been nominated three further times, including two nominations in the same category for The Decline of the American Empire in 1986 and Jesus of Montreal in 1989, becoming the only French-Canadian director in history whose films have received this number of nominations and, subsequently, to have a film win the award. For The Barbarian Invasions, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, losing to Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sook-Yin Lee</span> Canadian actress

Sook-Yin Lee is a Canadian broadcaster, musician, film director, actress and multimedia artist. She is a former MuchMusic VJ and a former radio host on CBC Radio. She has appeared in films, notably in the John Cameron Mitchell movie Shortbus.

<i>The Decline of the American Empire</i> 1986 film by Denys Arcand

The Decline of the American Empire is a 1986 Canadian sex comedy-drama film directed by Denys Arcand and starring Rémy Girard, Pierre Curzi and Dorothée Berryman. The film follows a group of intellectual friends from the Université de Montréal history department as they engage in a long dialogue about their sexual affairs, touching on issues of adultery, homosexuality, group sex, BDSM and prostitution. A number of characters associate self-indulgence with societal decline.

The Earle Grey Award is the lifetime achievement award for television acting of the Canadian Screen Awards, and its predecessor the Gemini Awards. It can be presented to an individual or collaborative team, and may be presented posthumously.

<i>Ive Heard the Mermaids Singing</i> 1987 Canadian film by Patricia Rozema

I've Heard the Mermaids Singing is a 1987 Canadian comedy-drama film written and directed by Patricia Rozema and starring Sheila McCarthy, Paule Baillargeon, and Ann-Marie MacDonald. It was the first English-language Canadian feature film to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Russia</span> Filmmaking industry in Russia

The cinema of Russia, popularity known as Mollywood, refers to the film industry in Russia, engaged in production of motion pictures in Russian language. The popular term Mollywood is a portmanteau of "Moscow" and "Hollywood".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Comedy Awards</span> National awards for performed comedy

The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerard Parkes</span> Irish-Canadian actor (1924–2014)

Gerard Parkes was an Irish-born Canadian actor. He was born in Dublin and moved to Toronto in 1956. He is known for playing Doc on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television series Fraggle Rock and the bartender in the film The Boondock Saints and its sequel The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.

<i>Dancing in the Dark</i> (1986 film) 1986 film by Leon Marr

Dancing in the Dark is a 1986 Canadian drama film directed and written by Leon Marr, based on the 1982 novel Dancing in the Dark by Joan Barfoot. It was produced by Anthony Kramreither, Don Haig and co-produced by John Ryan. The film is about a housewife, Edna, whose life revolves around her husband Henry. Edna spends her days cleaning the house making sure that it looks spotless and fulfilling her husband's every need in the process. After Henry betrays Edna's trust she murders him and then finds herself in a psychiatric hospital where she relives her old life by writing in her journal.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Comedy Series.

90 Days is a 1985 Canadian comedy film directed by Giles Walker and written by Walker and David Wilson. The film stars Sam Grana and Stefan Wodoslawsky as Alex and Blue, two unlucky-in-love guys who are trying to find new girlfriends. The film also stars Fernanda Tavares as Laura, a woman with a business proposition for Alex to become a sperm donor, and Christine Pak as Hyang-Sook, a Korean woman whom Blue is considering from a mail-order bride service.

Andrew Cividino is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his feature film directorial debut Sleeping Giant, which premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and for his frequent work as a director on the Emmy winning comedy Schitt's Creek, for which he won a Primetime Emmy at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards.

Anthony Kramreither was an Austrian-Canadian film and television actor and producer. Primarily known as a producer of low-budget horror and exploitation films such as Thrillkill, The Giant Spider Invasion and Humongous, he was most noted as producer of the 1986 film Dancing in the Dark, which was a Genie Award nominee for Best Picture at the 8th Genie Awards in 1987.

The Gordon Sinclair Award is a Canadian journalism award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for excellence in broadcast journalism. Originally presented as part of the ACTRA Awards, it was transferred to the new Gemini Awards in 1986. During the ACTRA era, the award was open to both radio and television journalists; when it was taken over by the Academy, it became a television-only award.

Christine Pak is a Korean-Canadian former actress, who received a Genie Award nomination for Best Actress at the 7th Genie Awards in 1986 for her performance in the film 90 Days.

Saverio "Sam" Grana is a Canadian television and film producer and screenwriter, most noted for the film Train of Dreams and the television miniseries The Boys of St. Vincent.

The Masculine Mystique is a Canadian docufiction film directed by Giles Walker and John N. Smith and released in 1984.

Artist on Fire is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Kay Armatage and released in 1987. The film is a portrait of Canadian feminist artist and filmmaker Joyce Wieland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levelfilm</span> Canadian Film Distribution Company

Levelfilm, stylized as levelFILM, is a Canadian film distribution company based in Toronto, Ontario. The company was founded by David Hudakoc and Michael Baker in 2013, and later acquired two other Canadian distribution houses: Search Engine Films in 2018 and KinoSmith in 2021. It has released more than 200 titles, with a focus on independent Canadian films.

References

  1. 1 2 "Comedy on artificial insemination travels in bizarre world". Kingston Whig-Standard , September 10, 1987.
  2. 1 2 3 "90 Days sequel set for Cannes". Ottawa Citizen , July 12, 1986.
  3. "Perspective Canada lineup announced: 90 Days sequel picked for festival". The Globe and Mail , July 23, 1987.
  4. "French-Canadian films make mark at Berlin festival: But where is English cinema?". The Globe and Mail , March 6, 1987.
  5. "Hits far outweigh the misses in showcase of Canadian films". Toronto Star , September 10, 1987.
  6. "Mini Reviews: The Last Straw". The Globe and Mail , October 2, 1987.