The Last of Sheila

source: The Last of Sheila

Trailer—The Last of Sheila

The Last of Sheila

April 2021. Wow, this is a truly amazing murder mystery whodunnit. I have watched it loads, It is so clever, so well written. Slightly dated in places now, but the South of France setting helps and the cast are super and big hitters from the time, such as Dyan Cannon, Raquel Welch and James Mason. If you like a whodunnit its a must watch 10 out of 10.

Very 70's film, but a very, very clever murder puzzle mystery. Familiar cast of faces, and lots of clues, games, questions, and red herrings. Like James Coburn says in the movie, you will be able to figure it out if you just stay put. Fashions by Joel Schumacher too!! An excellent choice for murder mystery fans.

Fans of Rehearsal for Murder and Sleuth will want to check out The Last of Sheila, a fun cat-and-mouse mystery involving James Coburn, Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Raquel Welch, and Ian McShane. The film starts out a year after James Coburn's girlfriend "Sheila" died mysteriously, and he invites all their mutual friends to a week-long party on his yacht. Of course, he has an ulterior motive, and from the first day, he strives to make his guests feel very uncomfortable. Admittedly, this is not nearly as good as Rehearsal for Murder, but that movie is pretty much in a class by itself. This one feels like a 1970s tv-movie, so with the music and camera angles, it feels dated. I was completely caught off-guard by the twists and turns of the plot, though, so Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins wrote a very mysterious script. While I wasn't happy with the very end, it was very entertaining up until that point, so I'd recommend it to those who enjoy this genre.

In one of many impressive movies from the early '70s, a man (James Coburn) invites several people onto his yacht where he has some tricks planned, but things get out of hand. You see, none of these individuals is being particularly forthright with each other. And it all somehow relates to the murder of the man's wife a year earlier. Probably the best scene is where no one could locate anyone else; that, more than anything, goes to show what we do and don't know about these people. Part of the movie's strength lies in how they set it up to fool us. You can't see anything coming. If the movie has any problem at all, it's that Richard Benjamin plays the sort of role that he always plays. But that's really no problem. "The Last of Sheila" is a very clever movie. Also starring Dyan Cannon, Ian McShane (of "Deadwood" fame) and Raquel Welch.

"The Last of Sheila" is my favorite whodunit (along with the 1945 version of "And Then There were None"). It is definitely one of the most involving & intricate whodunits I've seen. And to think it was all devised by old New York pals Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim - brilliant! Witty, sarcastic, sadistic, funny ... brilliant! And brought to the screen in such lively fashion by Broadway vet Herb Ross, who keeps it moving at a crackerjack pace. The casting is terrific! Only Raquel Welch comes off as a tad superficial & unsure of herself. I confess that I've been a fan of James Coburn since I was a little kid, and my God, was he ever in his element as a fun-loving yet cutting & mean-spirited producer on a very serious mission. The bottom line is this: if you enjoy whodunits, then "The Last of Sheila" should be on your list of must-see movies. You'll love it!

A movie mogul invites a group of Hollywood-types to his yacht for a week of fun and games, with the motive of outing the person who killed his wife a year earlier. Nothing interesting happens during the first half of the film. Then there's a murder and things perk up a bit, but it's too little too late. The script by Perkins and Sondheim is meant to be clever but is too contrived for its own good. The all-star cast is impressive, with Mason turning in the most notable performance. Welch looks fabulous, Cannon seems to be high on something, and Coburn is all teeth. Veteran director Ross does not help matters with his gimmicky camera work.

This very fun movie made me so nostalgic for the 70's. Excellent who-dunnit. Dyan Cannon is perfect as the brassy, free-wheeling wild blonde; I don't know why she was not more famous--good actress, excellent comedienne, beautiful. For the first time ever, Richard Benjamin actually acts. James Mason is wonderful. Many very very funny moments. Raquel Welch is terrible--all she can do is be pretty. James Coburn as the captain who plans the crafty game onboard ship is a wonderful diabolical schemer. Too bad Tony Perkins and Steven Sondheim didn't write some more sreenplays. I loved this to death.