Rating: 
Summary: Any number can play. Any number can die.
Review: A murder mystery written by composer Stephen Sondheim (Sweeney Todd) and actor Anthony `She might have fooled me, but she didn't fool my mother' Perkins (it seems both men share an insatiable love of puzzles and games)? And a good one to boot? Whodda thunk it? Yes, it's true...what? You've never heard of it? Neither did I...until now...
The Last of Sheila (1973), directed extremely well by Hollywood veteran Herbert Ross (Play it Again, Sam, The Goodbye Girl, Footloose), stars a formidable cast including the late, great James Coburn, Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Mason, Raquel Welch, Joan Hackett (Will Penny, One Trick Pony), and Ian McShane (Roots).
As the film opens, we witness the death of a woman as she storms from a late party, and, unable to get into her car, decides to hoof it...only to get run down by the side of the road. The woman's name was Sheila, and she was wife to high-powered Hollywood muckety muck Clinton Green (Colburn). A year has past, and now we see Clinton, who has a preponderance for games, on a yacht typing invitations for a weeklong get together he's planning, a seemingly sinister game ultimately revolving around the identity of the person who killed his wife. The invitees were all at the party that fateful night, and include Christine (Cannon), a promiscuous loudmouth Hollywood agent, Tom (Benjamin) and Lee (Hackett), a floundering screenwriter and his trust fund baby wife, Philip (Mason), a washed director, and Alice (Welch) and Anthony (McShane), a once popular actress now treading water relegated to opening shopping malls and such, and her hot-headed leechy husband/manager. All accept the invite, as they have pretty obvious interests in pitching, promoting, or working for Clinton, the well to do Hollywood producer. The game involves a dirty little secret from each of the guests' past, and is of a scavenger hunt of sorts. Things begin well enough, but soon the game takes a deadly turn as one of the participates meets an untimely end, and everyone's a suspect (well, except for the deceased). The rest are left to try and sort out the clues, and discover who among them is a killer.
This is a wonderful little `whodunit' within a `whodunit', full of twists and turns, where little is as it seems. Ross keeps it tight, and the film moves along at a brisk pace. The plot is very complex and intricate, forcing the viewer to pay attention throughout lest he/she miss a critical element. One of the things I really liked was clues present themselves, but, at the time they're presented, they seem completely innocuous and hardly worth a second thought. The mystery is very intelligent as the story rarely speaks down to the viewer, assuming a level of intelligence of its' audience few films expect. The characters were decently developed, which is kind of surprising since there's quite a few of them. James Colburn's character literally and figuratively brings it all together, as the abrasive (he often refers to his guests as `washed up has beens', which may be true, but who likes to hear it?) scheming, trickster having a jolly good time watching his `victims' twist in the wind trying to unravel his elaborate and devious puzzles. One part I found completely disconcerting was Colburn in drag...a more horrifying visage I have yet to see, as Colburn has to be one of the ugliest women I've ever seen, and I fear it shall remain burned in my mind for quite some time, as no amount of alcohol shall wash it away...I though Cannon did very well, as the pushy, cheap and easy, loud mouthed talent agent who has little qualms about wearing her intentions on her sleeve, lacking the basic subtly most have as it would probably work against her in her profession. Benjamin also did well, playing the smart and intuitive screenwriter, now forced mainly to do rewrites, piecing together the clues much as you'd expect someone reasonably talented who deals with scripts, plots, and character development for a living. Mason did well, but he just seemed tired throughout, with brief glimpses of inspiration, but then I wonder if his character was written that way, as the world weary director now forced to direct dog food commercials to make a living. Welch's role seemed a bit light, as did McShane's. Both seemed to make the most of what they had, but ultimately, they were overshadowed by the other talent in the film. Another aspect worth mentioning is the location shots. Each night the yacht stops in a port and the gamers )for lack of a better term) are shuttle to a location with clues meant to lead them to where they'll find the solution for that night's puzzle...the European locales are used very well, and I really liked the incorporating of the old abbey, as it made for a great backdrop. The weakest element of the film, a superficial one at that, was the costuming...I know, I know...the 70's were an awkward period for fashion, but it's really noticeable here...and guess who was in charge of costume design? None other than Joel Schumacher...the man who pretty much single handedly destroyed the Batman film series with his completely awful direction in Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), but, again, that's an entirely superficial element, and shouldn't dive you away from this clever and meticulous film worthy of multiple viewings as the plot is very complex and one may not pick everything up in one sitting.
The picture here looks pretty good, and the audio is clear which is good as there's a lot of talkie, especially when the mystery is picked apart. Special features include a trailer and a pretty stinky commentary by Benjamin and Cannon. Welch also provided a commentary, and the two tracks were lopsidedly spliced together. Two rotten commentaries cut together make for one hugely hideous mess that should be avoided altogether.
Cookieman108
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful Thriller that Keeps You Guessing!!!
Review: After reading the reviews for "The Last of Sheila", I could not help but rent it immediately! Needless to say, the reviews did not disappoint - it met all my expectations and them some! Immediately after the first viewing, I just had to watch it twice more to catch all the clues I missed; as another viewer states, you catch something new every time. The commentary with Dick and Dyan (and an annoyingly inserted Raquel Welch) is delightful as well. This is just a cleverly written, simply wonderful Agatha Christie-esque thriller with the added bonus of a very 70s kitsch factor - do not let yourself miss "The Last of Sheila"!
Rating: 
Summary: THE GAME OF MURDER
Review: Directed by Herbert Ross (Steel Magnolias), LAST OF SHEILA (Warner) is an ingenious and witty thriller written by game players Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins (Psycho). It's set on a yacht cruising just off the French Riviera. The stellar cast includes James Mason, James Coburn, Dyan Cannon, Raquel Welch, Ian McShane, Joan Hackett and Richard Benjamim. The story revolves around the hit and run death of Sheila, wife of Hollywood mogul Coburn. He thinks his friends know more about her death than they have said. In an attempt to find the truth, he invites them for a holiday cruise and some game playing. For the home viewer, clues are everywhere and warrant a second viewing. Amusing, superficial, commentary is from Benjamin, Cannon and Welch, although it sounds like Welch's input was edited in after the fact.
Rating:
Summary: A Creatively Masterful Whodunit
Review: Eccentric movie producer (James Coburn)throws a week-long party aboard his yacht with six Hollywood-type characters invited - one of whom may or may not be responsible for the murder of Coburn's wife ("Sheila") a year before. To make the vacation interesting, each person becomes a player in a game where secrets are revealed and truths are uncovered. But is it all in fun? Or is there a motive behind Coburn's twisted hijinks? And, when key participants wind up dead, will we ever find out just who is responsible for...the last of Sheila? Brilliant script that will have you guessing until the very end. And all the clues are there...look for them! END
Rating:
Summary: Last of Shiela? Too bad!
Review: Funny how the past sneaks up on one. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water wearing bell bottoms, smoking cigarettes, here comes "The Last of Sheila." Put aside your squeemishness on such PC topics as homosexuality, child enticement, celebrity murder, and drunken driving.Dive in, try to figure it out, and you are missing all of the fun. Dastardly deeds are only part of the thrill. The rest is all dinner theatre audience participation. Can you find your own self in the picture? This pic bests every who-done-it because the machinations are not what is important, what matters is that we all see ourselves somewhere here, if only in our grasping consumerism. What matters to US is that you will rewind time and again to find the clues. Are the clues important? Sure, keep a scorecard to check your own Fruedian influences. Important fact: Stehpen Sondheim collaborated with underrated writer Anthony Hopkins (check Psycho and Sweeny Todd.) Not for kiddies.
Rating:
Summary: A truly baffling mystery.
Review: Hollywood lore has it that the late Anthony Perkins (of "Psycho" fame) had such a brilliant mind that he and friend Stephen Sondheim used to stump friends with puzzling parlour games they used to play at parties. This apparently led to their writing "The Last of Sheila," which is my choice for most truly puzzling and baffling murder mystery ever committed to film. It's plot is so intricate, it's central murders so well thought out, it takes stars James Mason, Richard Benjamin, Ian McShane, Raquel Welch, Joan Hackett and Dyan Cannon nearly an hour of screen time to explain what happened! The plot? Film producer James Coburn's beloved wife Sheila is run down after one of their lavish parties. Coburn invites the above cast on a trip aboard his yacht for an elaborate parlour game where he intends to unmask Sheila's killer. In the meantime, Coburn ends up dead and the cast must figure out who among them is the killer of Coburn and his wife. Terrific performances by the cast--with the exception of Welch, who is awfully stilted here; she is seen to much better effect in the "Musketeer" comedies of the '70's as well as "Mother, Jugs and Speed" and the recent "Tortilla Soup"--help immeasurably in keeping the story moving, especially in the last hour, which takes place entirely in the yacht's stateroom. Especially good are Dyan Cannon as a Sue Mengers-style agent and the late, great and sadly forgotten Joan Hackett, as Richard Benjamin's neglected wife. And the script is airtight and still plays well today, except for a silly subplot involving a homosexual liaison. (Don't worry--it's only alluded to, not seen.) In all, this is one of the few Hollywood mysteries in which I was absolutely stumped, and could not for the life of me figure out whodunnit. My guess is you will be too.
Rating:
Summary: FUN & GAMES
Review: I can't say enough about The Last Of Sheila, one of the truly overlooked mysteries of the 70's. Stephen Soundheim's only film script (brilliantly co-written with buddy Anthony Perkins) reflects his passion for bizarre and elaborate games and his genius for wordplay. I saw this film when it first came out, went back and saw it again to make sure it didn't cheat, finally decided I don't care--it was waaaay too much fun. Years ago, the now-extinct Los Angeles Film Exposition FILMEX showed this under its Unappreciated Film Series and Perkins came to talk about the movie. It was a heavenly evening, hearing a full theater laugh at the witty jokes and hum at the intricate plotting. Suffice to say, this is a movie for people who like puzzles and NOT A WORD OR IMAGE OF IT IS WASTED! The clues are there from the opening shot. So get a group of friends together, pop in The Last Of Shiela, nuke up some popcorn, sit back...and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: why no DVD ???
Review: I have only one thing to say about this movie... Why isn't a great film like this on DVD?
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Movie!
Review: I just finished watching the DVD. This has always been one of my favorite movies. It's not "Casablanca" or "Citizen Kane" but it's not trying to be. It's just a good movie - and I really enjoyed it. Other reviewers here have discussed the movie itself so I will concentrate on the "extras". There are "previews" as well as a Commentary of the movie. Those participating in the commentary are Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon and Raquel Welch. Benjamin and Cannon were together when they recorded their parts and Welch did hers separately. I really enjoyed listening to Benjamin & Cannon - it was obvious they had a good time while recording. If you've never seen the movie before, though, don't watch the commentary first - they give away abit too much info about who-done-it. But if you already know, then turn it on and listen away. Benjamin and Cannon were not smokers yet smoking was part of the plot. They both had fun making fun of him trying to hold and smoke a cigarette. I found myself laughing out loud with them. And they were right - he did look funny. I remembered a scene near the end when he was talking with Raquel Welch's character and he looked like he had a lollipop in his mouth. At one point he leaned in so close, I thought he was going to burn her cheek. During the commentary, he said basically the same thing. I enjoyed listening to the two of them much more than Welch. It was almost a let-down at times to hear them laugh and then there is Raquel, saying something dull about the movie. "I never really paid attention to who the killer was while filming". *yawn* Meanwhile, Benjamin & Cannon were talking about how the movie cost an astronomical (for the time) $5 million to make the movie and how certain scenes were done. I would definitely buy this movie again - it's just plain FUN to watch and I really enjoyed the commentary too.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Movie!
Review: I just finished watching the DVD. This has always been one of my favorite movies. It's not "Casablanca" or "Citizen Kane" but it's not trying to be. It's just a good movie - and I really enjoyed it. Other reviewers here have discussed the movie itself so I will concentrate on the "extras". There are "previews" as well as a Commentary of the movie. Those participating in the commentary are Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon and Raquel Welch. Benjamin and Cannon were together when they recorded their parts and Welch did hers separately. I really enjoyed listening to Benjamin & Cannon - it was obvious they had a good time while recording. If you've never seen the movie before, though, don't watch the commentary first - they give away abit too much info about who-done-it. But if you already know, then turn it on and listen away. Benjamin and Cannon were not smokers yet smoking was part of the plot. They both had fun making fun of him trying to hold and smoke a cigarette. I found myself laughing out loud with them. And they were right - he did look funny. I remembered a scene near the end when he was talking with Raquel Welch's character and he looked like he had a lollipop in his mouth. At one point he leaned in so close, I thought he was going to burn her cheek. During the commentary, he said basically the same thing. I enjoyed listening to the two of them much more than Welch. It was almost a let-down at times to hear them laugh and then there is Raquel, saying something dull about the movie. "I never really paid attention to who the killer was while filming". *yawn* Meanwhile, Benjamin & Cannon were talking about how the movie cost an astronomical (for the time) $5 million to make the movie and how certain scenes were done. I would definitely buy this movie again - it's just plain FUN to watch and I really enjoyed the commentary too.
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