Stars: Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Tom Courtenay, David Hemmings, Helen Mirren, Ray Winstone

Director: Fred Schepisi

Summary: Based on the novel by Graham Swift, this is the story of a group of friends come together to mourn the death of Jack Dodds, who last request was to have his ashes thrown off of Margate Pier.

Fred Schepisi's adaptation of Graham Swift's prize-winning novel is a quietly graceful portrait of four working-class Brits, bound by years of friendship, that unites some of England's finest actors in a powerful and deeply moving ensemble production. Michael Caine stars as Jack Dodd, the charismatic leader of the group, whose death and last wishes sends his friends on a nostalgic journey from London to Margate to scatter Jack's ashes in the sea. After forty years of warming the seats at their favourite pub, long-time friends and WWII veterans Ray (Bob Hoskins), Lenny (David Hemmings), and Vic (Tom Courtenay) are forced to face the loss of one of their own as they make the "epic" journey accompanied by Jack's flashy, prodigal son Vince (Ray Winstone). Noticeably absent from the group is Jack's long-suffering widow Amy (Helen Mirren), who travels to visit her autistic daughter instead of accompanying her husband's ashes, in a painful journey of her own which sheds light on her complex relationship with Jack. As the four men make their way to Margate, going from pub to pub, they reflect on a lifetime of memories of Jack, which are recreated in a series of multi-layered flashbacks that explore the delicate interweaving of their friendships; full of secrets, resentments, and deeply rooted loyalty. Schepisi masterfully handles the multidimensional plot lines while deftly allowing his talented cast to portray their flawed and profoundly ordinary characters.

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Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on April 5, 2006 12:54 PM

Jack Dodds was a regular guy , so why the strange last order request to have his ashes thrown off the pier at Margate ? And why did his wife Amy refuse to do it ? As their Mercedes speeds towards the sea , an emotional mystery unfolds , where the men try to understand Jack's death by reliving their life through him ... the war ,
the children , the good times and the bad . The journey becomes a pub crawl full of drink - ups and punch - ups and the men discover that through it all , it's friends who break your heart and mend it .

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The ultimate small-screen representation of Loaded-era lad culture--albeit a culture constantly being undermined by its usually sharper female counterpart--there seems little argument that Men Behaving Badlywas one of 1990s' definitive sitcoms. Certainly the booze-oriented, birds-obsessed antics of Martin Clunes' Gary and Neil Morrissey's Tony have become every bit as connected to Britain's collective funny bone as Basil Fawlty's inept hostelry or Ernie Wise's short, hairy legs.

Yet, the series could easily have been cancelled when ITV viewers failed to respond to the original version, which featured Clunes sharing his flat with someone named Dermot, played by Harry Enfield. Indeed, it was only when the third series moved to the BBC and was then broadcast in a post-watershed slot--allowing writer Simon Nye greater freedom to explore his characters' saucier ruminations--that the show began to gain a significant audience.

By then, of course, Morrissey had become firmly ensconced on the collective pizza-stained sofa, while more screen time was allocated to the boys' respective foils, Caroline Quentin and Leslie Ash. Often glibly dismissed as a lame-brained succession of gags about sex and flatulence, the later series not only featured great performances and sharp-as-nails writing but also sported a contemporary attitude that dared to go where angels, and certainly most other sitcoms, feared to tread. Or, as Gary was once moved to comment about soft-porn lesbian epic Love in a Women's Prison: "It's a serious study of repressed sexuality in a pressure-cooker environment."

Last Ordersincludes: "Performance" in which Gary and Dorothy decide to have a baby. Tony announces he's moving in with Deborah so he can watch her "wandering around in her pants"; "Gary in Love" in which Gary's devotion to Dorothy is tested while attending a middle-management conference; and "Delivery" wherein Gary and Dorothy prepare for imminent parenthood. --Clark Collis

The DVD version also features a movie version which combines all three episodes, plus a quiz.

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Theatrical Trailer, Trailer Evolution Video, Behind The Scenes, Director And Main Cast Crew Interviews, Novelist Graham Swifts Biography, Director And Main Cast Filmographies, Production Notes, Marketing Evolution Image Gallery
Year:	2001
Release Date:	July 28, 2003
Runtime:	106 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P P A 1434
Label:	Metrodome
Keywords:	Last, General, Wide, Screen, Orders, Drama
Genre:	Drama