Parents' Guide to Last Looks

This comic detective story ranks several notches below others of its ilk, but it's bright, spirited, and well-told, with an appealing approach to its laid-back, kooky humor and silly characters. Veteran TV writer Howard Michael Gould adapted his own 2018 novel -- the first of three Charlie Waldo books so far -- and has created a fun character for Last Looks who'd be worth seeing again. Hunnam plays Charlie as a zenned-out guy who's largely unaffected by the craziness around him. In one sequence, while in L.A., he gets a phone call from a mysterious voice telling him to meet in his trailer. In a montage, he gets on his bike, rides, catches a bus, rides some more, stops to pee, and finally arrives at his trailer, only to get punched in the face (again). Yet it barely perturbs him. Then, the same montage, in reverse, to get back to L.A.

Other characters are just as fun, including a criminal who's written an epic poem and a rapper called "Swag Doggg" (Method Man), who's celebrated for his innovative use of an extra "g." Even Gibson -- his off-screen troubles notwithstanding -- clearly has a ball playing an English dandy who plays a drawling Southern judge on a hit TV show and manages both accents swimmingly. If the movie has a downside, it's that the comedy glosses over the actual murder, and there seems to be no realistic reaction to the death. Nothing really seems to matter. Alistair's young daughter doesn't even seem to mourn her mother. But as a minor whodunit with some genuine giggles, Last Looks is still worth a glance.