The Last One for the Road Movie Review

​Here we’ve got two men, Carlobianchi (Sergio Romano) and Doriano (Pierpaolo Capovilla), somewhere in their fifties, maybe late fifties, with nothing going on in life. Completely aware of that fact, they want to do what the title suggests and make excuses for doing it as often as possible… have one last one for the road.

Their lives are chaotic for most of the movie, but there is a moment when, sitting in their car, they look out at some houses, pondering the lives they could have had if things had turned out differently. Maybe, if they had less to drink? While searching for an open bar, the two see a group of students celebrating graduation and moving on to the next chapter of life. They end up picking one of them up, a very guarded architectural graduate named Giulio, played by Filippo Scotti, a Timothée Chalamet look-alike. He’s what they require to “grow up,” and for the moment, it’s the other way around, as well. They can use his design-focused mind, and Giulio needs a bit of the life in him that they once had.

Through conversations with him, we learn that the men, with the help of a third party named Genio (Andrea Pennacchi), once ran a small-time criminal enterprise. They made a lot of money, enough to share with their parents and live a nice, comfortable life. They stole and sold glasses, taken from the production line, ones that weren’t perfect and wouldn’t be missed. They’re expensive, and people flocked to purchase their cheaper pairs. This little venture went on for years. However, Genio was caught and fled to Argentina. He hid his share of the money. Wouldn’t that be a nice find? This and that last drink. Their pursuit of a good drink is sidelined in favor of doing right by the kid. Their friend Stefi (Lea Di Leo) is more than happy to help in that department. Giulio isn’t embarrassed and quickly runs off to be made a complete and full man.

The movie opens with a man finally being rewarded by the company he has been loyal to for decades, on the day he retires. It costs them just time; the company doesn’t care, it just wants everyone to keep working, so the display helps keep people working without too much complaining. Genio is one of those employees. It also mentions the “Americanization” of their country and others. Quite an embarrassing message to hear. The men discovered something important about life, but they can’t remember what it was. This movie is about finding that important thing… and the storyline is maddening as you wait for an answer to what it was, but worth every moment watching them try to jog their memory. Perhaps it’s what humans are doing to the world, and they have an answer for stopping it? You hope so. I recommend this. It can meander a bit too much, it’s too long, but it’s fascinating. You learn a lot about Italian architect and designer, Carlo Scarpa, that you would have thought unnecessary, but you’ll be glad you did.