‘The Last Bus’ Review: Even a Committed Timothy Spall Can’t Enliven This Lifeless Drama
Feb 19,2022
Gentle is the most fitting word to describe the aura of “The Last Bus,” Gillies MacKinnon’s placid travelogue of a movie about an ailing Englishman on a heartrending mission. Sadly, the filmmaker’s road trip errs on the side of excessive gentleness. For a tender movie that follows an old man on a long and demanding multi-bus excursion to honor his late wife’s wishes, the placid affair has curiously little emotional range and an even narrower sense of stakes.
Playing the retired engineer Tom, the British gentleman in question, a believably aged Timothy Spall gives the character his all, infusing him with a palpable sense of countryside dignity, but perhaps leaning a bit heavily on an exaggeratedly old speech pattern mostly made up of breathy mumblings. Respectably clad and holding onto his deceased wife Mary’s ashes for dear life, Tom leaves his John o’ Groats home — a location on Scotland’s northernmost point — and heads to Land’s End in southwest England (a nearly 850-mile journey, according to Google Maps), using nothing but buses.
Through several pretty-ish but painfully unimaginative and overtly costume-y flashbacks to the 1950s, we get to understand that the young Mary and Tom (played by Natalie Mitson and Ben Ewing, respectively) left their Land’s End home when an unspeakable family tragedy struck. Wanting to get as geographically far away as possible from their painful memories, the couple headed to Scotland, leaving their aching reality behind. Now, it’s up to Tom to recreate that epic journey in reverse and take Mary to her final resting place, armed with nothing other than maps and a bus pass that might have expired.
All things considered, “The Last Bus” feels close to a live-action “Up,” but without the Pixar animated feature’s grand romanticism that tugs at one’s heartstrings. Indeed, there won’t be any need for tissues here, even as Tom gets haunted by remembrances ancient and recent, with Phyllis Logan sweetly portraying Mary in her later years. Still, MacKinnon and screenwriter Joe Ainsworth manage to unearth some intrigue during Tom’s trip through engaging but shallow glimpses into the diverse fabric of modern-day UK. In what could be the most memorable of them all, the old man bravely confronts a racist drunk who harasses a niqab-wearing Muslim woman. In other sequences, we shadow him as he befriends a lively Ukrainian group who invites him to a boozy party with platters of pierogi and stays at the same lodges he and his wife once did. (It feels like a miracle that some of those places still exist and that he could even locate them.) In a less successful scene that aims to critique a certain bureaucratic mindset, a mean conductor kicks him out of the bus due to his invalid ticket. Passengers stand up for him to no avail.
To its credit, “The Last Bus” avoids trivializing old age, a common pitfall for many well-meaning films led by elderly protagonists. In that regard, Spall’s Tom feels respectable, gracious, and capable, with believable vulnerabilities that are never portrayed preciously for cheap laughs. It’s too bad that MacKinnon and Ainsworth don’t lean into this integrity further, and instead give us a rather whimsical ending that suggests Tom has become a social media sensation of his right — a turn that feels like a “Forrest Gump”-level stretch, to put it mildly.
Elsewhere, “The Last Bus” crawls when it needs to be speeding, making you wish for a little bit of a climb in its visceral landscape. But it all feels like a flat road of sentimental boredom, observed through drab, one-note cinematography. There is no doubt that the film has its heart in the right place, but most of the time, that’s just not enough.
Top Stories
Mushtaq Khan Death: Rajpal Yadav Reveals What Happened During Their Final Meeting
Sep 25,2026
Recently, news emerged from Bollywood that left fans heartbroken. Veteran actor Mushtaq Khan—famous for delivering the iconic dialogue "Meri ek taang nakli hai, main hockey ka bahut bada khiladi tha..." (I have a prosthetic leg; I used to be a great hockey player...) in the Nana Pa
'Udta Teer' Trailer Out: Ayushmann Khurrana’s quirky spy comedy with Sara Ali Khan features an India-Pakistan twist.
Sep 23,2026
The trailer of Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan's upcoming spy comedy Udta Teer is out. Ayushmann plays Bilal, a Pakistani spy who lands in India on a covert mission but loses his memory after an accident, leading to a bizarre case of mistaken identity.There has been considerable buzz
Govinda-Rani Swarnkar Relationship: Actor Visits Lalbaugcha Raja Without Sunita, Here’s What He Has Said
Sep 23,2026
Govinda and Komal Rani Swarnkar were spotted together at Mumbai's iconic Lalbaugcha Raja on Tuesday night, September 22, where the actor sought blessings and participated in the final aarti. Their appearance comes amid ongoing speculation about Govinda's equation with his Roopa co-star a
Parineeti Chopra Reacts to Katrina Kaif’s Weight Trolling: “Why View It Negatively?”
Sep 22,2026
Parineeti Chopra has come out in support of Katrina Kaif after the actress faced online trolling over her appearance following the birth of her son. Calling the criticism “uneducated and bizarre,” Parineeti questioned why physical changes experienced by women after childbirth a
Ganesh Chaturthi 2026: Sanjay Dutt, Ananya Panday, Sunny Leone Seek Blessings at Lalbaugcha Raja
Sep 22,2026
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Mumbai have once again brought Bollywood celebrities to the iconic Lalbaugcha Raja pandal. Several stars have visited the revered Ganpati idol during the ongoing festivities to offer prayers and seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha.Among the celebrities assoc
Salman Khan Viral Video: Bhaijaan Stops After Child Is Pushed, Scolds Driver Over Fan’s Foot
Sep 18,2026
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s appearances during Mumbai’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations have once again attracted significant attention online. From visiting the Ambani family’s residence and celebrating with his family to seeking Lord Ganesha’s blessing
King vs. Avengers: Doomsday – Shah Rukh Khan says "The father will come first," anticipating a Christmas box office clash.
Sep 15,2026
Shah Rukh Khan has once again shown why he is known as Bollywood’s ‘King Khan’. During his latest #AskSRK session on X, the superstar gave a witty response when a fan asked him about the much-discussed box-office clash between his upcoming film King and Marvel Studios&rsq
Salman Khan’s Ganesh Chaturthi Look Goes Viral: Tilak and Angavastram Steal the Show
Sep 15,2026
Salman Khan's appearance at the Ambani family's Ganesh Chaturthi celebration has become a talking point on social media. A video showing the Bollywood superstar offering prayers to Lord Ganpati at Antilia has gone viral, with fans praising his traditional festive appearance and the momen
Entertainment News
King vs. Avengers: Doomsday
Sep 15,2026
Salman Khan’s Ganesh Chaturt
Sep 15,2026
Shatrughan Sinha on Sonakshi S
Aug 18,2026
Emraan Hashmi’s Iconic Heart
Aug 18,2026
Batwara 1947 Review: Sunny Deo
Aug 14,2026