Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

GazerRise Fantastic!

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

rooprect Pay no attention to the sensational marketing on the back of the DVD declaring this to be a "kooky" "romantic comedy" "funnier than Police Academy 17!" (well OK, I made up that last one) I was expecting some big belly laughs, and after the first half hour without even cracking a smile, I started to feel disappointed. But that's when I realized that this is not really a comedy and it shouldn't be approached as such. True, there are some bizarre characters and weird situations like a guy getting accused of infidelity because he happens to be zipping up his fly at an inopportune moment (after taking a pee), but comedy is not the heart of this film; poetry is. The vibe the director achieved here reminds me of Bertolucci's "Stealing Beauty", Stillman's "Barcelona" or maybe the more recent "L'auberge espagnole" but with older characters. It's a very European story--and by that I mean the characters are extremely diverse and cosmopolitan, and the scenery plays a key role--about a bunch of people just being normal, or as normal as they can be under the circumstances.There aren't a lot of wild plot twists, no real action, and no melodramatic romances like you might expect from Hollywood. As best as I can describe it, this is a movie about real life set in an unreal setting (a dreamy island off the coast of Spain).The story is about a dead composer and how his legacy impacts the people who adored him. Here is where, I believe, we get the title of the film "Four Last Songs". In real life, composer Richard Strauss wrote 4 songs (Spring, September, Sleep, Sunset) in his last year before he died, and these songs prophetically consider the subject of death, yet not with dread & fear but with calm & serenity. The movie has nothing about Strauss but instead invents a fictional composer whose works are to be performed in a tribute concert. The "Four Last Songs" in the movie could relate to the 4 subplots: a young woman discovering her life (Spring), a mature couple dealing with their insecurities (September), a man who seems to be courting death (Sleep) and an unfinished romance left in the wake of the composer's passing (Sunset). The music seems to unify these 4 subplots into a cohesive tale, and that's how we get "Four Last Songs".This is of course, just my personal interpretation. But the point that I'm trying to make is that this is a film that can be approached at different levels, and its poetic nature lends itself to many possible meanings. In that sense, it ain't no hilarious romantic comedy. If, right from the get-go, you realize that it's a very symbolic & artistic story I think you'll enjoy it so much more.

jotix100 Veronica, the widow of famous composer Valentin Lucinsky is a bitter woman. She is haunted by the memory of what she thinks was a betrayal by her husband getting inspiration from his muse, Helena, a French woman. All this takes place in the gorgeous Mallorca, an island in the Baleares. Into this conflict comes Larry, an American pianist, who with his girlfriend Miranda run a small pension. Larry wants to pay tribute to the great man, so he must obtain Veronica's permission to play his music in a small amphitheater the great Lucinsky created, using his own grand piano, played by genius Narciso Ortega. Unfortunately, Larry takes on much more than he can deliver. Unfortunately, everything backfires on his good intentions. To make matters worse, his own daughter arrives from America, a girl whom he doesn't really know.There is also another story involving a rich Englishman, Sebastian, who loves music. His brother Dickie, who is always drunk, arrives for a visit. Sebastian, loves to listen to a recording of Strauss' Four Last Songs, something that he repeats over and over. As Dickie begins to get into Sebastian's nerves, a shattering revelation shakes both their lives.This is a film to watch for the magnificent exteriors of Mallorca. Nothing feels real because of Francesca Joseph's implausible screenplay and her own direction, which doesn't make much sense. Although it is by no means a horrible film, it feels empty. The finished product seems such a waste of talent in a story that tries hard to please, but does not go anywhere. The best thing is Mallorca itself, but alas, we don't get a grand tour of that enchanting place, only glimpses of its beauty.

JPMDatIMDB Disclaimer: I know most of the people on whom the characters are (loosely) based, and the area of the production (the village of Deia on the island of Mallorca), and the house in which it's set. I even happened to meet the director as they were getting ready to shoot the film, so I should have a natural tendency to praise this piece.On the flip side, I've been a writer and, as a young pup, a movie theater manager, so I see a lot of film and video, which perhaps makes me a bit more, um, particular about film making.The good stuff: The scenery is glorious, with or without the "homesick factor." The opening shot of the little church atop the mountain, with the several-hundred-year-old terraces of olives and fruit below, makes you want to call Iberia and book the next flight to Spain. The restaurant at the Cala, where you first see Miranda and Larry playing music together, is beautiful (great food, by the way) but looks more glamorous than in real life.The idea of bringing unheard classical music out of the past into modern ears is a good premise, with plenty of subplots going on to keep things interesting, while the idea of my sister popping up in the middle of all these other complications just adds another layer to the stack of amusing plot devices.On the flip side: I felt that the story didn't flow quite as well as I'd expected, perhaps because the dialog didn't strike me as quite sharp enough. It seems like the actors weren't quite sure where to go or what to say at times, so some of the story got a little lost. (I learned later they were instructed to ad lib most of their lines.)Nonetheless, I'd give it good marks for a light comedy, set in an idyllic location, with interesting characters, and a different premise from the usual "two strangers meet and fall in love, with laughs for all" that appears to mark the genre these days.

elakha-1 This film is poorly cast, directed even worse and you would do well to spend your money sitting in the lobby eating popcorn. It should be a romantic farce. Instead attempts to make it sincere, deep and touching are misguided, poorly executed and immature film-making at its worst. The Four Last Songs do not enter into the presented theme if there is an attempt to bring out a theme, and perhaps that is its greatest flaw: what was this about - wife vs muse, father/daughter, ex patriots adrift, brothers in jeopardy? Or just poor cinematography in a beautiful location. It appears to be an American version of an European melodrama by students with more money than talent.