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Last September, The
Trimark Pictures
MPAA RATING: R for some violence and sexuality
Starring
Maggie Smith,
Michael Gambon,
and
Jane Birkin
An elderly couple reside over a country estate in 1920s Ireland. They have living with them a niece, a nephew and a couple who are homeless and trying to hide this fact. All of these individuals are thrown into turmoil when one more guest arrives.
| GENRE(S): |
Drama
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
John Banville
Elizabeth Bowen (novel)
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Deborah Warner
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: September 26, 2000
Video: September 26, 2000
Theatrical: April 21, 2000
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
103 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
UK / Ireland / France |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
Philadelphia Inquirer
Desmond Ryan
Undeniable asset of an A list cast.
100
Boston Globe
Jay Carr
A gorgeous autumnal period piece that catches a vanishing proprietary class on the eve of its extinction in Ireland in 1920.
90
LA Weekly
Chuck Wilson
This is one of those rare times when a credit-heavy gathering of top film talents actually manages to produce a work of art.
90
Dallas Observer
Bill Gallo
Impeccably acted by a fine ensemble cast, it's a sheer pleasure to behold.
90
Los Angeles Times
Kevin Thomas
A luminous, piercing film from the Elizabeth Bowen novel, richly evokes a world of privilege on the verge of disintegration.
90
Variety
Todd McCarthy
Like hard-edged "Masterpiece Theater."
88
Chicago Tribune
John Petrakis
One of those rare movies that manages to maintain the hushed intensity and claustrophobic anxiety that is normally associated with theater or prose.
83
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
There's something Slavic about Warner's storytelling.
80
Film.com
Peter Brunette
A Melancholy Delight. Its pacing will undoubtedly seem too deliberate to some, but I found first-time director Deborah Warner's The Last September a delight from beginning to end.
75
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
The movie doesn't have much more get-up-and-go than the characters, but solid performances and richly textured camera work keep it involving most of the way through.
75
Miami Herald
Curtis Morgan
Sad confusions and emotional disconnections are what the story is all about.
75
San Francisco Chronicle
Edward Guthmann
The quality of acting in September, coupled with Idziak's images, warrant a visit.
70
Village Voice
Leslie Camhi
The film's pathos lies not with people who have justice on their side, but with those who don't know where they belong.
70
Chicago Reader
Lisa Alspector
This gorgeous expressionist drama makes the comparisons so effectively at the outset that by the end they seem belabored.
70
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
More interesting for the world it evokes rather than the drama that unfolds.
67
Portland Oregonian
Diana Abu-Jaber
There's enough caustic wit, romance and dizzy whimsy to make The Last September, if not deep, at least diverting.
63
Baltimore Sun
Chris Kaltenbach
Instead of a sweeping epic, this adaptation of a novel by Elizabeth Bowen is much quieter, a work perhaps too understated and stereotypical for its own good.
50
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
I'm not sure the movie should have pumped up the melodrama to get us more interested, but something might have helped.
50
New York Daily News
Jack Mathews
Saga too arty for own good.
50
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
Overall, The Last September is a real snooze.
50
TV Guide
Steve Simels
There's a certain built-in poignance to the end-of-an-era proceedings here, regardless of how frostily they're dramatized.
42
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
A botched job: the various relationships and personal histories of the characters are never made clear, the last act is glaringly disjointed, the writing and direction are all over the map.
30
Austin Chronicle
Marjorie Baumgarten
Not even the rich and nuanced performances of stage veterans Smith, Gambon, and Birkin can save this British period drama from languishing amid the story's unfocused longings and unrealistic musings.
 The average user rating for this movie is 6.0 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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