Joey Magidson
It shouldn’t matter one’s politics when reviewing a film, but I’ll go ahead and tell you all that I’m a solidly liberal voter. I’m a reliable Democratic voter and find the entire platform of the Republican party to be wrong, if not reprehensible in many cases. I only tell you this to tell you that while I disagree with former congressman Adam Kinzinger on nearly every issue he’s built his career on, one that I’m in full agreement on is the danger that Donald Trump poses. The Last Republican is actually built on that same principle, as director Steve Pink is probably further to the left than I am. Yet, he sees in Kinzinger not just a friend, but a bastion of doing the right thing. Playing at the Toronto International Film Festival, the documentary is a fully compelling look at the cost of taking a stand for the right thing.
The Last Republican could easily have been a puff piece. The doc never takes that route, thankfully,
This is a look at Adam Kinzinger, specifically his quest to stop Donald Trump in the aftermath of the attempted insurrection on January 6th. Through Kinzinger’s fandom of Pink’s film Hot Tub Time Machine, he’s allowed to make this movie, following the congressman around as he’s essentially shunned by his own party. A star in the making and potentially the future of the party beforehand, it culminates in him losing his job. We get to know the man, never shying away from his conservative beliefs that he knows the filmmaker and the audience don’t share, understanding how he’s come to engage in country over party politics.
In addition to the talking heads and the biographical elements, we also have Kinzinger and Pink bantering, which is actually fairly funny. What’s notable is it shows how we’re supposed to be able to disagree without being disagreeable and have friends with different views of the world. Juxtaposed with the politician being excommunicated for not towing the party line, it’s actually pretty powerful stuff.
Steve Pink, as just mentioned, inserts himself into the doc in a way that works better than you might expect. The standard non-fiction filmmaking is here, but the two of them making each other laugh is supremely effective. Adam Kinzinger is an interesting person to follow, even if you don’t agree with him politically, which Pink leans into. The Last Republican hopes to change minds, and whether or not that will happen, giving you a sense of how someone can see Trump for who he is, even if his party can’t, is a worthwhile experience. Even though I saw the movie prior to this, I’m finishing this review following the debate between Trump and Kamala Harris. It’s impossible not to think about how this subject would react to the difference on the stage, as opposed to those who needed him kicked out of their club.
The Last Republican might not reinvent the documentary wheel, but it’s an important conversation starter in the lead up to the election. I may not value the conservative credentials of Adam Kinzinger, but I think he’s an incredibly brave and principled man. At this point, I think that’s a stance that he’d prefer. There are a lot of bigger docs at TIFF, but this is as essential an offering as any other. Between now and November, I hope you get to see it.
SCORE: ★★★
I look forward to the sequel that Dinesh D’Souza will release in a few years: The Next-To-Last Republicans, about all the brave Republicans who insist they totally for realsies opposed Donald Trump behind-the-scenes in an abstract way that none of us could observe and actually Trump was more of a big government liberal than a True Conservative™ anyway so his failures really shouldn’t be seen as a reflection of the GOP as a whole and he’s been out of office for so long why are Democrats still dwelling on him let’s just forget about that guy and focus on the future come on.
Believe it or not, Dinesh has a documentary coming out very soon. Perhaps you or I should review it?
It’s good that he’s got another film on the horizon, since 2,000 Mules was pulled from circulation by its own distributor and I’m sure that was a big hit to his income stream. He is real trooper, able to bounce back from numerous failures and embarrassments and literal acts of malfeasance that he pled guilty to and served hard time for!
Saw the premier at the Toronto International Film Festival- Adam was my congressman when I lived in Illinois- I’m a Democrat, but I did vote for him because he is who he says he is. We need that- we need more people like him in government- sadly, they don’t last because of the power-hungry jerks who will do and say whatever to stay in power.