Genre

Character driven ensemble drama. Principal photography officially commenced in October 2000, taking cast and crew right up until Christmas 2000 when they wrapped after a nine-week shoot.

Synopsis

Fred Schepisi's adaptation of Graham Swift's prize-winning novel is a quietly graceful portrait of four working-class Brits, bound by years of friendship, that unites some of England's finest actors in a powerful and deeply moving ensemble production. Michael Caine stars as Jack Dodd, the charismatic leader of the group, whose death and last wishes sends his friends on a nostalgic journey from London to Margate to scatter Jack's ashes in the sea. After forty years of warming the seats at their favorite pub, longtime friends and WWII veterans Ray (Bob Hoskins), Lenny (David Hemmings), and Vic (Tom Courtenay) are forced to face the loss of one of their own as they make the "epic" journey accompanied by Jack's flashy, prodigal son Vince (Ray Winstone). Noticeably absent from the group is Jack's long-suffering widow Amy (Helen Mirren), who travels to visit her autistic daughter instead of accompanying her husband's ashes, in a painful journey of her own which sheds light on her complex relationship with Jack. As the four men make their way to Margate, going from pub to pub, they reflect on a lifetime of memories of Jack, which are recreated in a series of multi-layered flashbacks that explore the delicate interweaving of their friendships; full of secrets, resentments, and deeply rooted loyalty. Schepisi masterfully handles the multidimensional plot lines while deftly allowing his talented cast to portray their flawed and profoundly ordinary characters. (Rotten Tomatoes)

JJ Feild role

Young Jack Dodd

Filming

Shot over nine weeks in the unpredictable weather of the British autumn and winter of 2000, major locations for "Last Orders" included Peckham and Bermondsey, in the heart of south east London for scenes featuring the Coach and Horses pub, exterior and interiors of Dodd's Butcher's and Vic's funeral parlour; Smithfields Market in the East End, Canterbury Cathedral, the historical Chatham War Memorial, Eastbourne, the pier in the Kentish seaside town of Margate and the hop fields of Kent. An unused warehouse in Peckham was used as a temporary studio, where sets were built for the interior of Jack and Amy's home and Ray's flat. The final segment of the schedule was spent at Pinewood Film Studios in December 2000.

Release dates

Theatrical: Feb 15th 2002 US

Mar 2, 2003 UK

Video: Jan 8, 2003

Trailer

Links

Official site

IMDb

Production notes

Box Office Mojo

BBC Radio 4 JJ interview about playing a younger Michael Caine character.

Celebrity Wonder.com great resource about the film history.

JJ-Feild.com links

Last Orders news & media

Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes

Trivia

"Nolan Hemmings, fresh from making the BBC hit series Band of Brothers, was even able to help them when it came to the tricky business of casting a young Michael Caine (who only has a daughter) by recommending his flatmate JJ Field. 'I knew he could 'do' Michael, and he had the height and the same cheeky look. He just had to bleach his hair.'

Adapted from Graham Swift's best selling booker prizewinning novel it is about three life long friends (Courtney, Hemmings and Hoskins) on a trip to Margate where they are going to scatter the ashes of their drinking buddy (Michael Caine). Chauffeured by Caine's son Vince (Ray Winstone)the pilgrimage becomes a pub crawl and as they drink they reminisce over the good and bad times of their youth - shown in flashback form. 'There was a lot riding on us younger ones being as good as the guys we were supposed to be playing.

'JJ studied Michael a lot, he watched his films and listened to tapes of his voice to make sure he got it right."

Interview with Nolan Hemmings | The Birmingham Post (England) | November 24, 2001 | Byline: ALISON JONES