As I scrolled through the endless options that Netflix offers, a certain title piqued my attention: The Last Laugh.

Going against my usual instincts of watching the trailer, I decided to just cozy up on the couch and jump into the recently released Netflix original, unsure of what I would be watching. The light-hearted comedy ended up being nothing I had expected, leaving me somewhat satisfied and somewhat upset with the time I had spent watching it.

The movie slowly begins by introducing one of the main characters, Al Hart (Chevy Chase), who is being coerced into visiting a retirement home by his granddaughter, Jannie (Kate Micucci). During the visit, he encounters one of his old friends, Buddy Green (Richard Dreyfuss), who convinces him to move. The first twenty-five minutes of the movie seemed to drag on, and I struggled to stay engaged with the movie, yet eventually, the movie picked up to where the true plot was revealed.

The plot is based upon the two old friends, Al and Buddy, and their adventure they take around the country. When Al and Buddy were younger, Buddy was a comedian and Al was his manager, yet as time wore on, they both went separate ways from each other and their dreams. Yet, their reconnection at the retirement home sparks a renewal of this dream, and the two set off on a journey across the country performing comedian acts at all different places and working their way to their goal which rests on the opposite coast from where they set off: New York City.

Once the plot of a dream reborn was revealed, the pace of the movie started to pick up, yet I still felt like I was stuck on this roller coaster that was slowly climbing up to the exciting, yet quick, fall on the downhill slope of the ride. I admired the story the movie was telling, yet I didn’t enjoy the flow of the movie. An important aspect of a good movie is keeping the watcher enraptured within each scene, and that is just something The Last Laugh was unsuccessful with.

Although lacking the ability to captivate me, the idea that the movie was based around was one with good meaning. The basis of the movie was focused on the idea of a dream reborn, but it also presented lessons on life overall, incorporated family aspects, friendship aspects, and romance. The movie provided different lessons to take into the watchers’ own personal lives, and that always adds a positive likeability to a movie. It also has that heartwarming aspect that keeps watchers comfortable.

One thing the directors did nail was casting the two main characters: Chevy Chase as Al and Richard Dreyfuss as Buddy. Both of these actors made the bond between the characters come completely to life. I could feel the emotion each character displayed, and I felt like I was watching Al and Buddy, not two actors representing them. Dreyfuss actually made me laugh as he played Buddy the comedian, and Chase just created a very likable atmosphere for Al. Along with these two, the character of Doris Montgomery, Al’s love interest, was played by Andie Macdowell, and she did an excellent job at presenting the essence of her character.

On the other hand, I found some of the actors cast to be unrealistic or mildly irritating. For example, Jannie, Al’s granddaughter, played by Kate Micucci, was annoying in my opinion. I don’t think the actor held the personality that the character was originally supposed to carry, and I was just irritated by her in multiple scenes.

Overall, I’d consider the movie adequate. Would I spend another hour and 38 minutes watching the movie again? No. The good acting and bad acting combined with overall adequate casting and the on-and-off ability of scenes to capture my attention made the movie as a whole adequate.

If you’re looking for a movie with light comedy and a refreshing, heartwarming story, The Last Laugh consists of both of these. However, if you’re looking for a movie to keep you involved and excited, I would keep scrolling.