Movie with Abe: The Last Time You Had Fun

The Last Time You Had Fun
Directed by Mo Perkins
Released April 7, 2015 on VOD

A night on the town can be both extremely eventful and extremely therapeutic. This film’s title suggests that its characters have forgotten what it is like to truly have a good time, and that any even partial recreation of “the good old days” would be extremely welcome. A chance encounter at a bar leads to a wild and entertaining night for four very different people, all of whom could use the opportunity to remember what it feels like to be young and alive in this entertaining and enjoyable comedy.

This story begins in two places as it prepares to bring its four protagonists together. Ida (Eliza Coupe) shows up unexpectedly at the home of her sister Alison (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), devastated about the latest development in her destructive marriage. Ida pressures Alison to come out with her and escape from her boring life, a task that requires Alison to bribe her husband with sexual favors. Will (Demetri Matrin) has set up a depraved night for his friend Clark (Kyle Bornheimer) as he begins the single life following a divorce, and Clark comes with him on the condition that he need not change out of his sweatpants. Shortly after that, the two sets of buddies meet at a wine bar when Clark makes the mistake of trying to buy Ida and Alison a drink.

It’s not difficult to predict where the story goes from there, as all four people are very much in need of a thoughtless night where they can separate themselves from their lives. Only Clark is actually single, but there is plenty of debate and conversation from other parties, particularly Ida, who has documented proof that her husband Jake (Jimmi Simpson) regularly engages with other women, a fact confirmed again by Clark and Will when they stop by Ida’s apartment to procure some drugs. Will’s rental of a party limo provides the perfect vehicle, both literal and metaphorical, for an impactful and transformative journey for these four misfits.

All four of these actors should be recognizable from their TV work, though Martin actually got his start with a lead role in “Taking Woodstock” before recently wrapping a season-long recurring gig on “House of Lies.” Coupe will be familiar to “Happy Endings” devotees and also just starred on a short-lived USA series, “Benched.” Bornheimer has starred in four different shows that all got axed over the last decade, and one, “Perfect Couples,” also featured Ellis, who has appeared as Caroline on “New Girl.” These four performers are perfect for this film, a boisterous but subdued look at loneliness and letting inhibitions go. It’s not an extraordinary comedy, but it’s certainly fun and worth a watch on demand.

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