''The Last Straw'' is a Canadian comedy film, released in 1987."Comedy on artificial insemination travels in bizarre world". ''

Kingston Whig-Standard ''The Kingston Whig-Standard'' is a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is published five days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday. It publishes a mix of community, national and international news and is currently owned by Postmedia. It has ...

'', September 10, 1987. Directed by Giles Walker and written by Walker and David Wilson, the film is a sequel to the films '' The Masculine Mystique'' and '' 90 Days''."90 Days sequel set for Cannes". ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The newsp ...

'', July 12, 1986. In ''The Last Straw'', Alex ( Sam Grana) and Laura (Fernanda Tavares) are now running the

sperm donation Sperm donation is the provision by a man of his sperm with the intention that it be used in the artificial insemination or other 'fertility treatment' of a woman or women who are not his sexual partners in order that they may become pregnant by hi ...

business proposed in ''90 Days'', while Blue ( Stefan Wodoslawsky) and Hyang-Sook ( Christine Pak) are ready to start a family but have discovered that Blue is infertile. Alex becomes embroiled in international

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

when foreign countries are willing to pay millions of dollars or even to commit

kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/ asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the ...

because his sperm is so highly prized, while Blue's infertility places a strain on his relationship with Hyang-Sook. The film was originally announced in 1986 as being slated to premiere at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

in 1987, although it did not do so and instead premiered at the 1987 Festival of Festivals. A short preview teaser was however screened at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

Critical reception

The film was less well received by critics than ''90 Days''. Ron Base of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and par ...

'' wrote that the film "lacks any of the humor or insight into life and love in the urban '80s possessed by its predecessor", while '' The Globe and Mail'' wrote that while the film "strives vigorously to be demented, farcical and surreal in the

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over fou ...

mode", it succeeded only in being farcical, and that the film's climax "chops an already ragged premise into a celluloid shower"."Mini Reviews: The Last Straw". '' The Globe and Mail'', October 2, 1987.

References

External links

* 1987 films Canadian sex comedy films English-language Canadian films Films shot in Montreal Films directed by Giles Walker National Film Board of Canada films Canadian docufiction films 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films {{erotic-comedy-film-stub