Last Station & It's complicated: What a difference a director makes. Cinema Saturdays.

With the Last Station and It's Complicated the viewer can really understand the difference a good director and script make, even with superb actors.

Both films have wonderful actors at the heights of their careers - Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer and Paul Giamatti in the former and Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin (who along with William Hurt and Sam Waterston is one of the most underappreciated actors living) in the latter.  But whereas Nancy Meyers gets the best from her crew, Michael Hoffman wastes his talented cast.

Of course the cynical point out that Hoffman's cv is a bit threadbare, including such films as Soapdish, One Fine Day and A Midsummer Night's Dream whereas Meyers is known for two Father Knows Bests. 

But both wrote the screenplays and bear that responsibility as well.  Oh, and the Merchant-Ivoryesque tone Hoffman seeks is ruined by the stagy background of noble Russian peasants going about their labors.