The Last Thing He Wanted
Netflix | Release Date: February 14, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
35
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
10
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
The PlaylistJason BaileyJan 28, 2020
The film that follows is, admittedly, a bit of a mess. It’s also compelling, energetic, and well-acted, finding one of our most intriguing filmmakers all but flinging herself outside of her comfort zone. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinFeb 13, 2020
There’s some overreach and muddle here — you wouldn’t want a pop quiz on the plot — but “Last Thing” remains an intriguing, visually diverting piece, well shot by Bobby Bukowski. Read full review
55
PolygonKaren HanFeb 22, 2020
Like The Snowman, The Last Thing He Wanted fails to give its audience all the clues necessary to form a coherent picture, and flops in spite of what should be a killer director/cast combination. Read full review
45
Film ThreatLorry KiktaFeb 1, 2020
The Last Thing He Wanted is trying to be too many things at once. It goes off on several tangents that don’t ever conclude. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyFeb 19, 2020
This all contributes to the impression that the director’s interest in the project came down to just about everything except the plot. Which is understandable given the source material, but doesn’t excuse the fact that The Last Thing He Wanted sputters on most of the basic terms it sets for itself. Still, there is at least some nobility to its failure. Read full review
42
IndieWireKate ErblandJan 28, 2020
Nothing connects, nothing gels, and every thread is lost. Read full review
40
TimeStephanie ZacharekFeb 21, 2020
The Last Thing He Wanted makes some kind of sense at the end. But getting through its long, unwieldy middle is an undertaking — and not even a serious-minded political thriller like this one should feel so much like an assignment. Read full review
40
The New York TimesGlenn KennyFeb 13, 2020
The big problem with the movie isn’t the muddle, but the strain. Read full review
40
VarietyTomris LafflyJan 28, 2020
The human dimension that gives the film brief jolts of energy never takes root. Instead, audiences are left grappling with a stuffy maze, albeit one presented with handsome production values and a filmmaker’s striking visual touch. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin LeeJan 28, 2020
The Last Thing He Wanted is a thing that no one wanted. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJan 28, 2020
The emotional and logistical struggles of our heroine, played with sweaty determination by Anne Hathaway, are the film's clearest through-line; but after the intimate clarity of her debut, Pariah, and the wrenching Delta drama Mudbound, this is a pedigreed misfire. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreFeb 21, 2020
It stops making sense about thirty minutes in and never recovers. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comNick AllenJan 31, 2020
Dee Rees’ The Last Thing He Wanted is incomprehensible to an almost impressive degree — usually when a movie's narrative gets so out of control, it over-corrects itself at some point before the end. But not here. Read full review
25
The Associated PressMark KennedyFeb 12, 2020
The first half doesn’t fit with the second half, there are too many distractions and the filmmakers think it’s clever to leave clues but they do it clumsily and at the last minute and it’s really exhausting for the viewer. Read full review
16
The Film StageJordan RaupJan 31, 2020
The tell-all exposé on why exactly The Last Thing He Wanted is a failure on almost every level is likely many years away, but it’s been some time since such a promising concoction of talented ingredients has resulted in something so impossibly dull, gratingly lethargic, and utterly incoherent. Read full review
10
Rolling StonePeter TraversFeb 19, 2020
On film, The Last Thing He Wanted settles for just being hollow. It’s the last thing any of us wanted. Read full review
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