Synopsis: Dr. Abe Mandelbaum has just moved into a new manor with his ailing wife. After forming an unlikely friendship with a womanizing gambler, their relationship is tested when they each try to convince a mysterious nurse that they are her long-lost father.
Release Date: January 12,2018 MPAA Rating: PG-13
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama
Film Review
Production
As an actor, Martin Landau did it all, from slasher movies (Alone in the Dark) to quirky biopics (Ed Wood), from science fiction television (“Space 1999”) to science fiction television (“The Twilight Zone”) to, well, science fiction television (“The Outer Limits”). And he kept doing it all, right up until his death in July of 2017. But, like most legendary actors who worked right up until their passing, he left a handful of projects in the bank that have been slowly trickling out. Unfortunately, the bank is now empty; the last movie in the Martin Landau vault is the prophetically titled Abe & Phil’s Last Poker Game.
Abe & Phil’s Last Poker Game stars Landau as Dr. Abe Mandelbaum, and elderly physician who has checked himself into an old-age home with his dementia-stricken wife, Molly (Ann Marie Shea from the short “Flesh Eaters”). At the home, Abe befriends an old womanizing gambler named Phil (Goodfellas‘ Paul Sorvino) who suffers from recurring cancer. Their friendship becomes a bit more complex when a new nurse named Angela (Maria Dizzia from True Story and While We’re Young) gets a job at the home with the ulterior motive of finding her birth father. Knowing that one of the six men at the manor is her dad, Abe and Phil both realize that there’s a pretty good chance that it’s one of them.
So, as you might have guessed, Abe & Phil’s Last Poker Game has very little to do with actual poker. The game is more of a metaphor for life and the repercussions for the choices that are made during it. Written and directed by Howard L. Weiner (What is Life? The Movie.), the film is a pretty straightforward tale about aging and making amends, with a little bit of parental mystery intrigue tossed in for good measure. That’s not a knock on it; it’s a highly entertaining movie, charming and comedic with just the right amount of heart. It’s just nothing that hasn’t been done before. But, as Bach said, there are only twelve notes on the scale (Bach probably didn’t really say that, but you get the idea).
Abe & Phil’s Last Poker Game is a sweet and simple movie full of flawed characters who win the audience over because of those flaws, not in spite of them. Sure, it’s trite and predictable, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. It’s a feel-good movie that shows off its warts.
Acting
Fittingly, the finest aspect of Abe & Phil’s Last Poker Game is the performance of Martin Landau. Abe is a character who means well, but has important weaknesses, and, with a rare combination of humor and sincerity, Landau is able to play the role in a way that never loses the audience connection, even when he does things that are reprehensible. For example, he checks himself into the home along with his wife, even though it’s obvious that she needs the treatment and care far more than he does, just so that she won’t be alone. He finds himself attracted to one of the volunteers (played by Pamela Dubin from Last Words), even going so far as having a (very) small affair with her. It’s still very clear that he loves his wife very much and will do anything for her comfort, but he just wants to address his own needs, too. Very few actors could pull off the subtle nuances to communicate this, and Landau nails it like the professional that he is.
Cast and Crew
- Director(s): Howard L. Weiner
- Producer(s): Marshall JohnsonPeter PastorelliEddie RubinHoward L. Weiner
- Screenwriter(s): Howard L. Weiner
- Story:
- Cast: Martin Landau (Abe)Paul Sorvino (Phil)Maria Dizzia (Angela) Pamela Dubin (Sheryl)Ann Marie Shea (Molly)
- Editor(s): Andy Keir
- Cinematographer: Terrence Hayes
- Production Designer(s):
- Costume Designer: Sarah Hill Richmond
- Casting Director(s): Sig De MiguelStephen Vincent
- Music Score: Steven Argila
- Music Performed By:
- Country Of Origin: USA
