The concept of the Last call for Istanbul movie is interesting but unfortunately execution is heavily flawed
Both characters are likeable and their respective contribution to the marriage and its problems seems well thought of. The premise is good but that's the extent of it. Everything else about that movie failed. The movie lacks several things:
1) The script underplays Beren and Kivanc acting abilities. These two actors have such a wide range of acting skills and are capable of so much better quality acting. The writers should have written a better screenplay to take advantage of the skills of these two actors. Instead they went with the basic too-easy romantic movie. Last call for Istanbul had the potential to be a landmark Turkish romantic movie but it totally failed
2) Why was there a need to over-sexualise the female character played by Beren Saat? It feels like these digital platforms tend to always over-compensate for the conservative censorship inside Turkey. They overload the stories with over-the-top sexuality that is not natural to the story. It would have been much better to let the story play out with the right dose of physical attraction, similar to the right balance that Aski-memnu series managed to reach back in 2008-10. This is where an experienced writer is needed to balance the story out and set the right tone. It feels like Netflix and Disney+ have a complex to go overboard with physical scenes. It made Beren's character dislikeable and very close to being taken as a prostitute in the movie. It was a weird story arc
3) It feels like the movie missed on a great opportunity to showcase Manhattan. The movie is supposedly set in New York which is one of the most beautiful places to shoot a movie in. The director and producers could have done a much better job showing the beauty/vibe of the city and the magic that this city has to offer. It would have elevated the movie so much and would have given it an epic dimension. Such a shame that it missed that! In addition, it is so obvious that the hotel they stayed at is fake/not set in Manhattan. There are literally several thousands of hotels in Manhattan that they could have used. Shooting in real actual locations gives dimension and depth to the movie and grounds it well, like we have seen in so many Hollywood movies and shows. Surely Netflix would have the budget to shoot the movie in NY
4) The premise of these two great actors reuniting after the 2008-10 success of Aski-memnu reminds me of Leo DeCaprio and Kate Winslet second movie (Revolutionary Road movie), and Michelle Pfiffer and Al Pacino second movie (Frankie and Johnny movie). Similar to these movies, Last call for Istanbul rightly narrowed down the story to focus on the on-screen dream duo (Kivanc and Beren) and their chemistry, which is a good call. Unfortunately, the screenplay and the execution turn out not to be up to the task
5) For the first half of the movie, the story of two strangers connecting in a city has been done successfully in the past with great movies like Lost in Translation, Once and Before Sunrise which where able to capture our hearts and portray the beauty of that connection. Unfortunately this movie is falling short from this. Again it is the poor writing and directing that are unable to meet that standard
Great actors but the movie missed the mark by a lot. Overall very average movie, which is a shame as it had so much potential! Makes me wonder if there are any good quality writers, producers and directors left in the Turkish movie industry.
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