Review: The Last Station (2010)

[Steve Rhodes]

THE LAST STATION
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2010 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****):  ***

While THE LAST STATION's two major Oscar nominations, Christopher Plummer 
for Best Actor and Helen Mirren for Best Actress, may cause you to 
needlessly raise your expectations for the film, the movie is basically an 
entertaining piece of fluff with a little drama thrown in every now and 
then.

The last film I saw by writer and director Michael Hoffman was 2002's THE 
EMPEROR'S CLUB, which is a very traditional and completely satisfying film 
that is something of a combination of DEAD POETS SOCIETY and MR. HOLLAND'S 
OPUS.  His latest movie, THE LAST STATION is equally successful.  Basically 
a love story, it tells a story centered on the end of Leo Tolstoy's life, a 
time in which he had abandoned his books to his new endeavors, which could 
be seen as a movement that was a precursor to communism.

Called Tolstoyian, the new movement is shown as being advanced more by 
Vladimir Chertkov (Paul Giamatti) than by Leo (Plummer) himself.  Pacifism 
and a renunciation of private property appear to be the two main tenets of 
this philosophy.

Leo, a gregarious guy who is said to have been the most famous author in the 
world in 1910 when the story is set, lives on a large country estate with 
his wife Sofya (Mirren) and some of their thirteen children.  They have a 
loving but very volatile marriage.  Sofya worries about Vladimir stealing 
all of her husband's money for Vladimir's causes.  While living a very 
aristocratic lifestyle, Leo talks endlessly about the plight of the 
peasants.  Meanwhile, outside their front door is a permanent encampment of 
a host of journalists acting just like today's pesky paparazzi.

Sofya, a melodramatic hypochondriac, and Leo squabble and bicker when they 
are not engaging in sweet talk and playful kidding.  After 48 years of 
marriage, they still love each other very much, but forces are conspiring to 
drive them apart, as the couple's goals increasingly diverge.

In a satisfying but ultimately disposable subplot, James McAvoy plays 
Valentin Bulgakov, the new secretary sent by Chertkov to spy on Leo, and 
Kerry Condon plays Masha, a free spirit Valentin meets at the Tolstoy 
estate.  In no time, Valentin abandons his belief in a celibate life and 
throws himself headlong into a sweet little romance.

With superb acting throughout, THE LAST STATION may not be a great film, but 
it certainly is an easy one to enjoy and savor.

THE LAST STATION runs 1:52.  It is rated R for "a scene of sexuality/nudity" 
and would be acceptable for teenagers.

The film opens nationwide in the United States on February 5, 2010.  In the 
Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.

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