Absolutely Fantastic

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I was a bit apprehensive to watch this, even though Dennis Leary and Hope Davis are in this, both of whom are great actors. Also, I've never been a huge Hope Davis fan, she tends to play unsympathetic characters a little too well (Secret Lives of Dentist and About Schmidt) and the idea of Leary in a serious role puzzled me, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt, probably because it was Leary in a serious role, which is an intriguing idea. I took a gamble, despite the ultra-cheap look, and I am very happy that I did watch it.The ultra-low budget is exactly why this film is not for everyone, it is solely driven by dialogue. it is very clearly a low-budget film, chances are that either Davis and Leary did it without a paycheck or they spent their whole budget to get them. If that idea is off-putting to you, steer clear. Even though the budget is next to nothing, and you can tell, the script is beyond great and the acting is absolutely perfect, especially the interplay by Davis and Leary, which is the heart of the film. It is hard to talk about the film without giving anything away, so I will say nothing about the actual plot. Only that it develops slowly and is purely dialogue driven, much like a play, but it is not a stagey film. The film is almost a mystery, you just don't know where it is going to take it and it keeps you guessing. Yet, it is also very much a romance and on an intellectual level, sci-fi as well, but only in the most cerebral sense. There are no laser fights, outerspace/intergalactic travel, space ships, or aliens, and it reveals itself very slowly. There is very little action, most of everything happens in one room, though there are a number of "flashback" scenes which take place out of the room. I have seen low-budget films that were overly ambitious in their execution for their budget("Lo" or even "Ink" comes to mind), and suffer a bit for it, "Final" does not have those problems, in fact, were it to be hampered down with a bigger budget, I get the feeling it would have actually encumbered the production and possibly hurt the end result. The only downside is it makes it less likely to appeal to anyone who doesn't like offbeat films that are not at all mainstream, even though the story is as good as any well-made big budget film, the cheap look does not help it in the ratings department I am certain, I think that is probably the primary reason why it is not rated higher, and I think given this film cost a good deal more than "Primer", yet has a somewhat cheaper look, doesn't help it either. The acting, story, characters, and writing is all very well done, the quality of the look, which is a result of sloppy post production, does hurt this film, though the cinematography and sound is competent, and does it's job. The music is ver playful and a lot of fun, and certainly adds a lot to this movie, it is one of my favorite aspects of the film. It is easy to say that if you enjoyed movies such as "Primer" or "Ink" which do pretty well with their tiny budget, or you are just tired of films that have no story or substance, this is a movie that is well-worth a watch, if that is not you, please do us a favor and do not watch or rate this film.God Bless ~Amy

In this off-beat psycho-drama, Denis Leary slowly comes to the realization he is being kept in a state psychiatric institution for reasons that are both confusing to both him AND the audience. Under the watchful eye of Dr. Ann Johnson (Hope Davis), Leary careens from one flashback to another.He is convinced that his short, ill-fated marriage, the death of his father, and his drinking binges somehow unhinged him. But can those items explain the paranoia he suffers about a coma, cryosurgery, and a conspiracy to keep him under Government control?The relationship between patient and doctor plods along slowly, and there are some holes in the logic that continue to badger even the most casual film critic. However, in the final analysis, Leary and Davis are appealing as a tragic couple. There is that confrontation with the truth at the end that makes any of us ask, "What is sanity... and to whom should we trust this sanity?"

I felt as though I should watch it again to figure out plot elements that I really didn't get, hints of things that may or may not have happened. But I didn't, because I just wasn't that interested.I guess that mental hospitals are popular as sites for movies because there must be lots of vacant sanitoria lying around the country that you can rent for cheap. And this movie seemed quite cheap. What is it about Denis Leary? He so unsympathetic, such an overactor, such an emoter. He has the right to exist, but I've never seen him in anything where I enjoyed watching the guy act. And when he speaks as himself, as a guest on a talk show, he's even less sympathetic. Hope Davis was her usual bland self.But there are a few elements of the plot that I didn't get, and I didn't go back to figure out: (SPOILER)1. Is there a prior relation between Bill and Ann? Specifically, is Bill the father of Ann?2. Is Ann an unfrozen person, who once had some relation to Bill?3. What's with Ann's sister? Was she frozen, but now having troubles? Is she really Ann's sister, or her mother, via Bill?As you can see, I missed something. I'm not good at sci-fi mysteries. So blame it on me.Jim McGaffin as the orderly was perfect.

Dennis Leary may have started a comedian, but he is becoming a top-notch actor. His TV work just keeps getting better, and Final shows how good he can be.****SPOILER****In this film by Independent Digital Entertainment, Leary plays Billy, a man who wakes in a mental hospital with no clear memory of why he is there. Billy is lead to believe it has only been one week since he had an accident, but he thinks it has been four hundred years and that he is slated to be killed. As things progress, it is made increasingly clear that there is something unusual going on. Billy remembers more and more of the events leading to his accident and finally discovers the truth. This film was well shot on digital and had good acting and great dialog. All in all, a good movie with a decent take on the whole coma/cryogenic/future/past combo.