'The Last Thing He Wanted': Release date, plot, cast and all you need to know about the Anne Hathaway starrer
Adapted from Joan Didion's novel, 'The Last Thing He Wanted' is set against the nebulous milieu of the Iran-Contra scandal. The story revolves around journalist and single mother Elena McMahon, played by Anne Hathaway, who has rigorously investigated Contra activity in Central America for years.
Now a pawn in a risky and unfamiliar game, surrounded by live ammunition in more ways than one and alongside a US state official (Ben Affleck) with whom she has a checkered past, Elena needs to parse her own story to survive. With her disenchanting life awaiting her back home, she is forced to consider what she really wants.
Release date
'The Last Thing He Wanted' premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020 and is scheduled for a February 21, 2020 release on Netflix.
Plot
The official plot summary on Netflix reads: "Veteran DC journalist Elena McMahon (Anne Hathaway) abandons the 1984 campaign trail out of a misguided sense of duty to her father, Dick McMahon (Willem Dafoe)."
It further reads: "Guilted into running a dangerous fool's errand on his behalf, Elena leverages the moment to pursue her own investigation but instead gets tipped into the confounding center of the very intrigue she’s trying to expose. Answers turn into questions and wrong turns lead to dead ends in this stylish political thriller as Elena becomes increasingly lost on a map of someone else’s making and the possibility of return — to home and to herself — slowly narrows."
Cast
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway plays Elena McMahon, Richard’s daughter in the film. One of the highest-paid actresses in 2015, she has won an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe. She is known for her roles in 'Bride Wars' (2009), 'Valentine's Day' (2010), 'Love & Other Drugs' (2010), 'Alice in Wonderland' (2010) and 'The Intern' (2015).
Ben Affleck
Affleck plays the role of Treat Morrison in the film. He is known for his roles in 'Gone Girl' (2014) and playing Batman in both 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' (2016) and 'Justice League' (2017) including an appearance in 'Suicide Squad' (2016).
The other actors in the film include Rosie Perez as Alma, Edi Gathegi as Jones, Willem Dafoe as Richard McMahon, Elena’s father, Carlos Leal, Julian Gamble as George Shultz, Hilel Potaznik as a reporter, Mel Rodriguez and Toby Jones.
Director/Writer
'The Last Thing He Wanted' is the fourth film from director and Academy Award-nominated writer Dee Rees. Marco Villalobos co-wrote the script, and Cassian Elwes produced it along with Rees.
Trailers
A two-minute trailer was rolled out by Netflix on January 23, 2020. The caption reads, "A veteran D.C. journalist loses the thread of her own narrative when a guilt-propelled errand for her father thrusts her from byline to unwitting subject in the very story she’s trying to break."
Where to watch
You can catch the film on Netflix after its release on February 21, 2020.
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