The Last Good Time
| The Last Good Time | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Bob Balaban |
| Produced by |
Dean Silvers Bob Balaban |
| Written by | Bob Balaban John McLaughlin Richard Bausch (novel) |
| Starring |
Armin Mueller-Stahl Olivia d'Abo Maureen Stapleton Lionel Stander Adrian Pasdar Kevin Corrigan Beatrice Winde |
| Music by | Jonathan Tunick |
| Cinematography | Claudia Raschke |
| Edited by | Hughes Winborne |
| Distributed by | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
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Release date
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Running time
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90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $65,081 |
The Last Good Time is a 1994 drama film, released in early 1995, starring Armin Mueller-Stahl, Olivia d'Abo, Maureen Stapleton and Lionel Stander in his final theatrical role. Directed by Bob Balaban, the film was based on a 1984 novel of the same name by Richard Bausch.
The film opens showing a small New York City apartment building at night, where a young couple on the top floor are seen arguing. Charlotte (d'Abo) throws a bag out of her window, with some contents landing on the window sill of downstairs neighbor Joseph (Mueller-Stahl). Joseph takes some of the items, which includes a locker key, and by the next day, Charlotte and her boyfriend Eddie (Adrian Pasdar) have apparently vacated the premises.
Focus is then shifted towards Joseph, a widowed German/Jewish violinist who lives a simple yet structured everyday routine that includes writing in a journal about what he will wear, visiting Howard (Stander), an old friend at a nursing home who is in the final stages of Alzheimer's disease, trying to make arrangements on a tax debt, buying food at a discount grocery store, and then returning home to read books and play his violin.
Charlotte returns to the apartment the following evening to recover missing contents from her bag, but notices her boyfriend's car pull up while doing so and quickly rushes into the building. She asks Joseph for a towel to dry off after the heavy rain, but subsequently collapses on his apartment floor. He gives her a blanket and pillow and lets her sleep there.
After some hesitation, Joseph lets Charlotte stay in his apartment indefinitely. Despite the age difference, the two slowly form a platonic bond; Joseph discusses his past violin career and interest in philosophers; Charlotte reveals that her now former boyfriend Eddie was involved in organized crime and that the relationship was purely for financial reasons. Charlotte is additionally impressed that Joseph – despite his age – could remember the words of philosophers, whereas her former boyfriend – a one-time musician – could barely remember "words to his own songs."
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Wikipedia