The Last Time You Had Fun

Ida (Coupe) is an emotional wreck.  She is separated from her husband, jobless, and living with her mother.  She shows up at her sister Alison's (Ellis) home looking for a weekend away.  The sisters decide to have a much-needed night out.  Meanwhile, Clark (Bornheimer) is newly divorced and miserable.  His best friend Will (Martin) wants to celebrate the divorce with a guys night, complete with private limo and driver, Betty (Yi). 

Both groups end up at a wine bar and bond over their disillusions with marriage and aging.  With Betty behind the wheel, they set out to have a fun night.


I discovered this film on Amazon Instant Video.  I loved Eliza Coupe on Happy Endings and enjoy the rest of the main cast, so I decided to give it a try.

The film is part comedy and part drama, following in the vein of adults behaving badly trend.  There are bad decisions and drug usage, all while the characters acknowledge the real lives they need to return to.  Each character has an arc from their position at the beginning of the film, to where they are at the end... and each has a deep moment when they evaluate their lives.  Mary Elizabeth Ellis, best known as the Waitress on It's Always Sunny, gives the best performance as Alison, deeply layered and moving.  Jimmi Simpson is funny, but mostly wasted here... his scene is too long, but his character is mentioned throughout the film.

It is an ok indie film... good for a night in, but not worth owning or watching more than once.

The Last Time You Had Fun (2014) 82 minutes

Director: Mo Perkins
Starring: Kyle Bornheimer as Clark
Eliza Coupe as Ida
Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Alison
Demetri Martin as Will
Charlyne Yi as Betty
Jimmi Simpson as Jake