Drama

The Last Bus

- Returning to the past, he found his future.

Widower Tom, on the recent passing of his wife Mary, uses his free bus pass to travel the length of Britain from John O'Groats in Caithness to Land's End in Cornwall, their shared birthplace, using only local buses. It's an incident-fuelled nostalgia trip and his encounters with local people make him a media phenomenon. Tom is totally unaware and to his surprise on arrival at Land’s End he’s greeted as a celebrity.

Release Date : 2021-06-18

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Celsius Entertainment

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Tom

Original Name : Timothy Spall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mary

Original Name : Phyllis Logan

Gender : Female

Character Name : Young Mary

Original Name : Natalie Mitson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Young Tom

Original Name : Ben Ewing

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tracy

Original Name : Patricia Panther

Gender : Female

Character Name : Imogen

Original Name : Saskia Ashdown

Gender : Female

Character Name : Graham

Original Name : Colin McCredie

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alice

Original Name : Marnie Baxter

Gender : Female

Character Name : Andrey

Original Name : Iain Robertson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maria

Original Name : Susanna Laine

Gender : Female

Character Name : Moira (Vigilante)

Original Name : Sheila Grier

Gender : Female

Character Name : Alicia (Nurse)

Original Name : Natalie Clarke

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr Martin

Original Name : Celyn Jones

Gender : Male

Character Name : Colin (Wannabe Soldier)

Original Name : Ronan Doyle

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jan (Passenger with Correct Fare)

Original Name : Linda Lyon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pete

Original Name : Steven Duffy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Anne

Original Name : Anne Kidd

Gender : Female

Character Name : Issy

Original Name : Aila Gavin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Stuart

Original Name : Matt Costello

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rory

Original Name : Adam Mitchell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joyce (Rory's Grandma)

Original Name : Helen Windsory Quinn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Claire (Nuisance Boy Mum)

Original Name : Kirsty Eila McIntyre

Gender : Male

Character Name : June (Driver - Sheep Bus)

Original Name : Dee Maxwell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Esme (Mr. Froggy Girl)

Original Name : Ayla Sherrif

Gender : Male

Character Name : Carol (Thieving Junkie)

Original Name : Lynn Kennedy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Francesca (Café Waitress)

Original Name : Patsy Blower

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Aziz (Oncologist)

Original Name : Manjot Sumal

Gender : Male

Character Name : Neil (Racist)

Original Name : Kevin Mains

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sophia (Abused Passenger)

Original Name : Maryam Hamidi

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mo (Sophia's Son)

Original Name : Ayaan Majid

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ted (Supportive Passenger)

Original Name : Adam Tomkins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sue (Supportive Passenger)

Original Name : Marianne McIvor

Gender : Female

Character Name : Grace (Hen)

Original Name : Olivia Fenton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Suzie (Chief Hen)

Original Name : Isela Hamilton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Des (Football Fan)

Original Name : Neil Thomas

Gender : Male

Character Name : Billy (Drunk)

Original Name : Brian Pettifer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sandra (B&B Owner)

Original Name : Johanna Allitt

Gender : Female

Character Name : Fran (B&B Guest)

Original Name : Grace Calder

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ric (B&B Guest)

Original Name : Andrew John Tait

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paddy (First Day Driver)

Original Name : Ciaron Kelly

Gender : Male

Character Name : Simon (Student)

Original Name : Michael Monroe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Malcolm (Inspector)

Original Name : Keith Warwick

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rachel (Balloon Passenger)

Original Name : Lyn Papadopoulos

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bob (Free Journey Driver #1)

Original Name : Leonard Cook

Gender : Male

Character Name : Eddie (Free Journey Driver #2)

Original Name : Anthony Bowers

Gender : Male

Character Name : Helen (Crying Girl)

Original Name : Leah Byrne

Gender : Female

Character Name : Elena (Crying Girl's Friend)

Original Name : Nicola Williamson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ken (Driver - Broken Down Bus)

Original Name : Glen Maney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Julia (Greeting Girl)

Original Name : Mia Roopra

Gender : Female

Reviews

Peter McGinn

@narrator56

2021-11-19

This is a slow-paced movie where not much exciting happens. You can see that just by reading the reviews: the negative ones that use words like boring, and nothing happens! This is perhaps why there is such an audience out there for end to end action movies. A lot of viewers want movies with simple plots, where every problem is caused and solved by acts of violence. Those movies are easier to watch if you have talkative friends over for movie night, or want to constantly text while viewing and — sorry, I seem to have fallen into rant mode. Timothy Spall does his usual sublime work, and it is easy to forget the actor is 30 years younger than this role. The rest of the cast are not too shabby either. The dialogue rings true most of the time. I am not sure it pieces together the social media connection as well as it could have, but that is quite minor. This is a great character study of a normal guy, with backstory about his marriage added in through gradual flashbacks. One of my favorite elements of this film is the way they keep Spall’s elderly character consistent. He is a bit of a curmudgeon right from the start of his journey, at least until the people he encounters get beneath his outer shell, and he is the same way at the end. It would have been easy to have him be Mr. Sunshine at the end, affected by the kindness and approval he encountered along the way, but his character stayed true to himself. It is a movie of neat small touches; too quiet for many, just right for others, like me.

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-01-02

Having recently lost his wife to cancer, "Tom" (Timothy Spall) decides to meticulously follow a route they took many years earlier from John O'Groats in Caithness all the way down the island of Great Britain to his hometown near Land's End in Cornwall - some 800-odd miles away. Armed only with a thick coat and a tiny suitcase, he determines to use his bus pass and along the way meets a wide variety of caring - and not so caring - individuals who engage with him, invite him into their lives, or just throw him off the bus for not having a ticket! As his journey continues he starts to attract the attention of local media but he's pretty ambivalent to any of that - he has just become a man with a mission. Along the way we are treated to some flashbacks of their early life - Ben Ewing and Natalie Mitson providing the acting - as we learn of their early lives, love and, of course, of their traumas and tribulations along the way. The story takes it's time and though never exactly dull, it's not especially lively either. Some of the events on his bus trip come across as a little overly contrived and Spall has precious little by way of dialogue to enliven this often rather plodding drama. At times, though, it presents a poignant opportunity for a man to reflect on a lifetime spent with the woman he loved and I'm sure will resonate widely with people dealing with loss and grief.