The Last King of Scotland...its not Hugh Grant

Last weekend, I made plans with my mother to see what I THOUGHT was going to be a carefree night at the movies with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore (see Music and Lyrics); however, no sooner had my mom picked me up, that I could tell MY plans were about to change.

Mom: Would it be ok if we went to see The Last King of Scotland instead?

Westchester: (Pause) What is The Last King of Scotland?

Mom: It that movie with Forest Whitaker about a tyrannical dictator in Uganda...and its supposed to be really good. PLEASE!

Now, HAD I been paying for my own movie ticket, I may have had a fighting chance in this debate; however, as my Mom was fitting the bill my negotiating chip was limited to some poorly-executed whining AND my puppy dog face (which never works, by the way) so The Last King of Scotland it was.

Don't get me wrong, the movie was not bad. On the contrary, The Last King of Scotland was very powerful with moving performances across the board; however, it being a lazy Saturday afternoon-with me in the mood for romantic fluff and Hugh Grant-all "Scotland" did was drive me to the drink.

Instead of clever dialog and flirtatious glances, there were severed arms and scenes of torture; and, where I had hoped for light-hearted comedy building towards a romantic liaison between good-looking leads, I got a torrid affair that culminated with the torture/slaying of an unfaithful wife.

So, while I would recommend seeing The Last King of Scotland- I would also recommend on a trip to the bar afterwards; because, like Schindler's List and All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 before it-The Last King of Scotland was a lot to handle.