Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

One Last Thing… Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 20, 2009

Mixing comedy with drama, Alex Steyermark’s digitally shot “One Last Thing” (2005) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. Its story is focused on a cancer-struck young boy who wishes to spend a weekend with a disillusioned supermodel on the path of self-destruction.

I wish...

16-year-old Dylan Jameison (Michael Angarano, Dear Wendy) is dying – his mom (Cynthia Nixon, Sex and the City) knows, his best friends Slap (Gideon Glick) and Ricky (Matt Bush) know, and so does his doctor. But Dylan does not care; he wants to make the most out of what he’s got left, and that means a date with supermodel Nikki Sinclair (Sunny Mabrey, San Saba). During a special event sponsored by the United Wish Givers foundation – where everyone expects Dylan to confess that he would like to go fishing with his favorite football player, Jason O’Malley (Johnny Messner, The Art of Travel) – the kid announces his wish.

A few days later, Nikki meets Dylan in Pennsylvania. The two don’t have much to say to each other, but Niki’s agent (Gina Gershon, Bound) is delighted by the free publicity Dylan has secured for her client. Unimpressed with the “date”, Dylan asks his mom if she would be OK with him going to New York City and having a real date. Obviously, his mom is horrified.

Slap and Ricky, however, are delighted with Dylan’s idea. The three manage to sell an autographed football for ten thousand dollars and quickly book their tickets to the Big Apple. Once in the city, Dylan’s pals head to the closest striptease club, while he ends up in a high-end discothèque frequented by his idol.

Let’s fast forward a bit – Dylan meets Nikki, who apparently is in the middle of a serious emotional crisis; Nikki rejects him and tells Dylan not to waste his time with her. In the meantime, Slap and Ricky spend all of their money on two exotic dancers, and then get some of the money back so that they could pay for their taxi. Unfortunately for them, the owners of the striptease club aren’t particularly happy when clients attempt to take back what they have already spent.

Back in Pennsylvania, Dylan is hospitalized and told that he has very little time left. Out of nowhere, Nikki appears and takes the boy to a nearby beach. The two fish together, kiss, and then fall asleep. On the following morning, Nikki discovers that Dylan has passed away.

A lot of critics did not like Alex Steyermark’s One Last Thing…, and I can certainly understand why. The film tiptoes between being a dark, at time uncomfortably sarcastic, comedy and a likable drama with a clichéd finale. Add to the mix the fact that the dialog is also quite rough, and it is indeed very difficult to defend One Last Thing… without admitting how inconsistent its script is.

Dylan and Nikki are the obvious victims of the genre mix up mentioned above. While it is somewhat easy to feel about Dylan, it is practically impossible to embrace Nikki’s character; she undergoes a tremendous transformation from the first time we see her (teaching another model an impressive lesson) to the final scene where she kisses Dylan. Alas, even though we manage to learn a little about Niki’s demons, mostly when we see her drinking to forget about his relationship a boy she left behind in order to pursue her career, we never really spend enough time with her to fully understand why she decides to give Dylan a second chance after she rejects him in New York.

On the other hand, something happens between Dylan’s mom and Jason O’Malley after he purchases the autographed football. The two spent an entire day together talking about Dylan and his deceased father (Ethan Hawke, Reality Bites); it seems like they like each other. Yet, surprisingly, the script completely ignores their feelings and we are left wondering if we might have misinterpreted their words. Or, the entire film.

One Last Thing… Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-2 and granted a 1080i transfer, Alex Steyermark's One Last Thing… arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

This was one of the very first Blu-ray releases Magnolia Pictures put on the market and it certainly shows. The MPEG-2 encoded transfer reveals a number of weaknesses that none of the newer Magnolia titles I've seen are plagued with. Contrast on One Last Thing… is very inconsistent, detail gravitating between average and satisfying, and clarity, more often than not, rather weak. Edge-enhancement also pops up here and there and during specific scenes it becomes quite difficult to ignore its presence. I was also able to spot a good dose of the "motion-judder" we typically encounter with some 1080i transfers. On a positive side, the actual print is in perfect condition – I did not detect any debris, scratches, or stains to report here. Still, as I mentioned earlier, it certainly shows that this is a very early Blu-ray transfer whose basics are more than a bit questionable. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release which you will be able to play on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

One Last Thing… Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two different tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 5.1. As you could see, the audio treatment One Last Thing… has been given is also average at best. Obviously, this isn't a film that would have benefited greatly from the inclusion of multiple loseless tracks, but having at least one would have been greatly appreciated. This being said, the English DTS 5.1 track does an admirable job of enhancing the listening experience – the dialog is crisp and clean, while the music soundtrack, courtesy of Anton Sanko, is mostly pleasing. Nonetheless, it is fairly obvious that neither the DTS 5.1 track nor the Dolby Digital 5.1 track offer the type of depth and resonance we have come to expect from well mixed loseless audio tracks. Simply put, there is absolutely nothing memorable about the two tracks found on this Blu-ray release, though, there is absolutely nothing wrong with them either. For the record, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings. Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles are provided for the main feature.

One Last Thing… Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

On this Blu-ray disc you will find a very interesting commentary with the director of One Last Thing…, Alex Steyermark, where he talks about his film, its message, how it was made possible, etc. The director also comments on specific scenes from the film as its story progresses. In addition, Magnolia Pictures have also provided an HDNet episode titled fittingly "One Last Thing…" where its host, Robert Wilonsky, interviews members of the cast and crew. Finally, in the special features section of this disc, there is also a promo piece for other HDNet productions as well as a gallery of trailers for other Magnolia Pictures films.

One Last Thing… Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite a few memorable scenes, Alex Steyermark's One Last Thing remains an underwhelming film with a number of subplots that are, surprisingly, left undeveloped. Furthermore, aside from Dylan, none of the main characters are likable; they seem to exist for no particular reason. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures, is of somewhat questionable quality as well. Therefore, the best we could do is recommend that you rent it.