The Last House
THE LAST HOUSE made me think about Mark Wahlberg running away from the wind and the trees in "The Happening". That turd was one of the worst films I've ever seen, and this one should be grateful to have that comparison.
This waterlogged mess starts off with a clever premise, then devolves into something much less interesting.
We barely meet former fisherman/current unemployed engineer Jason (Wagner Moura) and his wife Ann (Greta Lee) and their two kids Ruth and Graham before the rain starts.
And this isn't your normal wet stuff. It seems to be moving of its own free will, kind of like the water that explored the oil rig in James Cameron's "The Abyss", but far less interesting.
There are moments in the first twenty minutes or so that are intriguing, teasing with a premise that seems to have a lot of possibility. Sadly, my expectations were drowned by a story that becomes a major slog to get through, spiraling away from a disaster movie to a LONG survival story that failed to hold my interest.
As the family realizes they are trapped, they begin communicating with their neighbors. There are some nice family moments as Jason teases the kids with funny descriptions of their neighbors, staring out the windows at the people across the street doing the same thing.
But the tonal shifts in the film are jarring. It's either horrible editing to try and pare down the still far too long Hour and 52 minute running time, or really bad writing.
Moura, the first Brazilian actor every nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for "The Secret Agent" is the best thing about the film, offering up a consistently strong performance as the events (and the film) around him spiral into a mess.
I'm stunned by Greta Lee, who was jaw dropping and fantastic in "Past Lives" but is the absolute worst actress in the film. Is the part written that way? Was she delivering exactly what Director Louis Leterrier wanted? She is off putting, going from deeply damaged to action hero and back again in a flash that's nonsensical but would be even worse if Moura wasn't anchoring the scenes in some reality.
Two different actors play Ruth and Graham as the film opens and in its final half that takes place five years later. They are all good and compelling in their roles.
Leterrier has made some action films that I really enjoyed, including "Now You See Me" and "Transporter 2". The film only really takes off in its final hour during a well staged confrontation scene between the family and the forces outside. For that sequence, Leterrier feels back in his element and the movie MOVES.
But honestly, by that time, it has spelled out so much mythos and legend building around what's happening that it makes M. Night's exposition in the godawful "Lady in the Water" seem lyrical.
You'll have plenty of time as the film goes on and on to admire the family's resourcefulness as supplies and patience run out.
By the time the on screen chalk scratching said it's been five years, I was starting to want to escape too.
Is it a monster movie, a statement on humans and the planet, a family drama, a survival story? I guess, but by trying to be all those things, it excels at none of them, drowning in the relentless rain, horrible dialogue and goofy mythology.
Credit Moura with being the one great thing in a mediocre movie. He's excellent, saving THE LAST HOUSE from getting on my last nerve.
It gets a D.
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