The Last Supper (1995)

reviewed by Adam Groves - film critic

During a dinner gathering, five liberals accidentally murder their ultra-conservative guest. Sound good so far? Inspired, they continue to invite right-wing guests to dinner each week, poisoning them. As the death toll rises, the moral justification for murder weakens. This is the premise of The Last Supper, a clever and engaging black comedy that benefits from fine performances and understated direction.

As a gang of frankly putrid liberals, Cameron Diaz, Courtney B. Vance, Annabeth Gish, Ron Eldard and Jonathan Penner accomplish the neat trick of generating sympathy for their characters even as their madness escalates.

Obviously, a film like this depends heavily on its actors and the ensemble here fits the bill admirably. The surprise standout is Courtney B. Vance, the group's one black member. His descent into obsession is far more severe than that of the rest of the group, and he is convincing all the way down. Cameron Diaz (the beauty from The Mask) is another standout as the gorgeous fashion victim, and the usually demure Annabeth Gish (Desert Bloom, Nixon) shines in her wildest role yet, performing her first masturbation scene (chaste, fully clothed, but one has to start somewhere, I guess).

As the conservative victims, more familiar actors take the stage. Charles Durning is a homophobic priest, Jason Alexander is an anti-environmentalist ("I'm not anti-Earth, I'm pro-Earthling!"), and Bill Paxton is a psychotic Desert Storm veteran who sets the plot in motion. The standout here, again, is a surprise Ron Perlman (TV's Beauty And The Beast) as a hate-spewing Republican presidential candidate. Perlman makes a brief but memorable appearance that reverberates long after the film is over (and the other cast members are forgotten; he's that good). He's the group's final dinner guest, and his appearance provokes surprising results. Nora Dunn as a nosy police inspector is the one cast member who fails to make any impression, due, perhaps, to her underwritten character.

Excerpts from assorted reviews

"...The movie is a savage satire about intolerance....A brave effort in a timid time..." (Chicago Sun-Times)

"...A socially relevant satire....[With] lively discussion, snappy humor and affecting sentiment..." (Variety)

"...A peach of an idea..." -- Rating: B (Entertainment Weekly)

"...Those hungry for soul-searching food for thought should take a seat at THE LAST SUPPER..." -- 3 out of 4 stars (USA Today)

"...This fiendishly funny political thriller skewers the right and the left with equal glee and marks Title as a talent to watch..." (Rolling Stone)

"... The guests are played by eccentric performers, all hitting their marks in due course, including brilliant turns by Paxton, Perlman and Charles Durning... " (Daily Variety)

"... Terrific performances by Bill Paxton and Ron Perlman... " (The Seattle Times)

"...And the film is stolen at the end by Ron Perlman, as a Rush Limbaugh clone who savors his expensive cigar and talks leisurely circles around his antagonists while seeing right through their plot..."
Roger Ebert
Chigaco Sun-Times

"... Topping off the conservative dinner guest is Ron Perlman as a form of Rush Limbaugh. His end game with the group is a mastery of dialogue and scene direction..."
Home Theatre Info

" ...When a popular conservative talk show host (Ron Perlman) graces the roommates' dinner table, he masterfully yet subtly demonstrates the irony of the roommates' crusade, proving the senselessness of those who believe their opinions to be so righteous that all other's opinions are worthless or invalid. Ultimately, we see the roommates reduced to nothing more than the prejudice that they try to withstand... "
Digitally Obsessed.com