35
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75The PlaylistJason BaileyThe PlaylistJason BaileyThe film that follows is, admittedly, a bit of a mess. It’s also compelling, energetic, and well-acted, finding one of our most intriguing filmmakers all but flinging herself outside of her comfort zone.
- 60Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinThere’s some overreach and muddle here — you wouldn’t want a pop quiz on the plot — but “Last Thing” remains an intriguing, visually diverting piece, well shot by Bobby Bukowski.
- 45Film ThreatLorry KiktaFilm ThreatLorry KiktaThe Last Thing He Wanted is trying to be too many things at once. It goes off on several tangents that don’t ever conclude.
- 42IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate ErblandNothing connects, nothing gels, and every thread is lost.
- 40The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeThe Last Thing He Wanted is a thing that no one wanted.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe emotional and logistical struggles of our heroine, played with sweaty determination by Anne Hathaway, are the film's clearest through-line; but after the intimate clarity of her debut, Pariah, and the wrenching Delta drama Mudbound, this is a pedigreed misfire.
- 40VarietyTomris LafflyVarietyTomris LafflyThe human dimension that gives the film brief jolts of energy never takes root. Instead, audiences are left grappling with a stuffy maze, albeit one presented with handsome production values and a filmmaker’s striking visual touch.
- 38RogerEbert.comNick AllenRogerEbert.comNick AllenDee Rees’ The Last Thing He Wanted is incomprehensible to an almost impressive degree — usually when a movie's narrative gets so out of control, it over-corrects itself at some point before the end. But not here.
- 25The Associated PressMark KennedyThe Associated PressMark KennedyThe first half doesn’t fit with the second half, there are too many distractions and the filmmakers think it’s clever to leave clues but they do it clumsily and at the last minute and it’s really exhausting for the viewer.
- 16The Film StageJordan RaupThe Film StageJordan RaupThe tell-all exposé on why exactly The Last Thing He Wanted is a failure on almost every level is likely many years away, but it’s been some time since such a promising concoction of talented ingredients has resulted in something so impossibly dull, gratingly lethargic, and utterly incoherent.