My Last Day Without You (2011) Poster

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7/10
Good Movie
alexfromhorn1 April 2012
I'm someone that hates love stories. But I have to admit this movie was quite entertaining.

The story is pretty simple but effective. Business guy from Germany is in the States for a meeting and by accident falls in love with a woman - at first sight. The way this story is told is pretty real. The characters were likable and neither overacted nor uninteresting, OK maybe the taxi driver was a little but he is just a side character.

Acting was nice, maybe at a few moments a little bit overacted but still very nice. I liked the characters development as well. The music was nice and fitting. And somehow I had fun watching it, I guess you will as well.
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7/10
All is Coincidental? Nothing is Intentional?
marcin_kukuczka10 April 2012
"Happiness is always a coincidence" (Jose Bergamin).

Courage that gives a chance to personal freedom and coincidence that may open the door to happiness... For a number of reasons, some intentional and some coincidental, the film is, in a nutshell, a smoldering romance of new wave in the medium. Let me, however, highlight some deservedly important aspects of the content and the performances.

A terribly strenuous day for one Niklas (Ken Duken), an elegant, strict, principled, restrained young German businessman from Frankfurt, who is supposed to travel to New York City for one day with an unpleasant, severe mission. He is ordered to shut down a company that no longer occurs to be beneficial and fire the employees. He appears to have experienced most pleasures that life can give, surely all the ones that may be bought and yet, something aches in his mind and heart, something that cannot be removed by financial means – loneliness disguised in suit and manners of a businessman...

A crazy, unpredictable day for one Leticia (Nicole Behari), a beautiful, vibrant, young, unprincipled singer from NYC. As a daughter of a pastor, she needs relief and independence from the preachy style. Her songs, however, need new inspiration and promotion...yet, where she can find it is not where her real trouble lies. Something else aches in her heart, too, something that cannot be removed by artistic means – loneliness disguised in her songs - the only true expression of her inner self.

With a little bit of courage and a little irony of coincidence...this strenuous, unpredictable, crazy day will occur to be a truly turning point for the two. Flowers will be placed at the empty concrete and beauty at the gray routine – something the screenplay supplies us not merely on the screen...

Awarded at the Brooklyn International Festival and the Black Reel Awards, MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU directed by Stephen C. Schaefer and produced by Diane Crespo is a true surprise. Made at the new production companies, Cicala Filmworks and Silver Shepherd, it reveals nothing but a new wave in modern cinema with considerably unknown but very good cast and production merits that address the majority of modern audiences. The strongest points of this movie lie in pleasant direction, pretty uncomplicated but considerably appealing nature of storytelling, NYC's spirit of 'melting pot' expressed in the different ethnic backgrounds of the protagonists and quite vivid characters easily identified with. That makes the movie something both youngsters and elderly viewers may equally enjoy. Besides, it is important to note that this is a love story but no tearjerker whatsoever.

Although the content is quite predictable from the moment they see each other for the first time and Leticia gives Niklas her CDs as a self-promotion, the foregoing events are enjoyable to watch. The chemistry between the protagonists is worth attention. Although they differ, growing love is something that unites them. Late mothers of them both somehow see their actions. Although Niklas, as a European, cares about the past and Leticia, as an Afro-American does not necessarily bother with those things, they both find a mutual future (consider this multinational flair given to the characters). That aspect of 'loneliness is over!' 'we have found love!' 'we are born again!' is supreme and sealed by the final moment of the day when she sings the most meaningful, spontaneous song – dedication of her career. She has her rules and he respects them...he has his past and she learns it...they both have their inner dreams and they fulfill them...the test is quick and surprising.

The supporting cast hold the essence of humor. That refers, in particular, to Laith Nakli as a funny taxi driver who, from time to time, utters something hilarious and whose 'sleepy excesses' make for gales of laughter. Reg E Cathey is sympathetic as Pastor, a sweet old fashioned father who is, perhaps preachy at certain moments and who makes Leticia angry at times but the one who always has a good word for her. How nice it is to discover that he finds himself in a similar position to his daughter...

An enjoyable film, a brief depiction of coincidental/intentional love experience worth seeing in two. Is happiness always a coincidence? Hard to say...but, surely, nothing in it is planned by ourselves.
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7/10
Very cute movie!
TokyoGyaru7 January 2021
It's not perfect, but it's an enjoyable watch largely because of the chemistry between the leads. At first, it's easy to think that the German guy is devoid of personality and cold, but Nicole Beharie has that quality where she's so endearing and cute that I could really buy that her character could shake a cold, unfeeling businessman awake. It's a bit of a conflict between worlds, but not one that's focused on in a ham-fisted way, and I appreciated that the movie wasn't about them being an interracial couple and that struggle (setting the film in NYC helped with that). I also enjoyed her father's own love story, which was very cute, and though the driver character rambled on a lot, he was kind of the heart of the film. I enjoyed seeing him so invested in someone else's happiness.

Nicole Beharie is a good musician as well! She has a nice singing voice. I really liked her work in Sleepy Hollow (even though they ultimately didn't do right by her character or the actress herself), and one of my favorite things were her interviews with Tom Mison. They were always such a pleasure to watch because their chemistry was always so much fun (that includes Orlando Jones as well). Sounds weird, but she makes me think of Ciara in how she can have chemistry with different people easily. I saw some of that in this film as well.

Overall, the acting was good, the chemistry was good, and the story (though a bit far-fetched in that typical romantic dramedy way) was pretty good too. I'd love to see the leads in another film together, as they played off each other well (and looked good together).
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Really Watchable and Not Same-O SAme-O
daysky13 March 2013
I am so glad that I didn't listen to the review that I read that gave this movie 2 stars!!!! Something about the cover just caught my eye...

It turned out to be a great movie with a plot that I haven't seen a million times before.

In a good movie love story, you fall in love a little along with the characters... this was that type of movie. They both had flaws... she was a little rough around the edges and he thought money was the solution for every problem. I also thought the male lead was kind of ugly at the beginning of the movie, but by the end I could see why she was attracted to him.

It's not a movie that will change your life, but I think it's a good movie that will at least makes you question if you have let love slip through your fingers like it's nothing.
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6/10
Predictable
billcr1226 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Niklas is being talked to in German by someone unseen at the start of the movie and later lands in New York. Leticia(Nicole Beharie) is singing and playing a piano in her apartment, while composing a song. Next scene and good looking Nik is in his power suit sitting in a board room, telling a small group of American workers that they are being laid off due to downsizing. He walks into a coffee shop and guess who is sitting next to him; the beautiful, everybody calls me Tish, and she hands him a cd of her music.

The good German tracks her down and asks for a date. At first she says no, but with his persistence, has lunch with him. They go back to her apartment and she sings for him and it is magic. They kiss and almost get it on, but she is a Christian girl and can't do it on the first date. Meanwhile the aspiring singer finds out that Niklas is the one who is responsible for her losing her job. Nik offers to fly her to Europe and set her up with a friend in the music business, but she just loves Brooklyn. A side story with her pastor father is also thrown into the mix.

This is a routine and predictable romantic comedy which just breezes along. Nicole Beharie is gorgeous and has a good voice with decent songs. Her talent deserves better material.
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6/10
anna-123888 September 2016
Ken Duken on of the most talented handsome actor i have ever seen to be onset i do not like ( My Last Day Without You )or any story similar to that ,, Actually, I just picked it to watch because it has one of my

favorite actor in it ♥ sure his performance in this film is amazing

so emotional i give him 10/10 but the whole movie i'm sorry to say that 6 is enough :/

like i said before it is not my type of movies.

no much suspense Just like the other romantic movies of this type !!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!
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3/10
Beautifully Shot, But Overall Not Worth The Time
jamiedawes-4829727 May 2016
While browsing Netflix looking for some basic entertainment to fill a few hours I noticed this film in my recommended items. It's setting (New York) and premise sounded exactly like the kind of thing I'd enjoy, so I decided I'd give it a try.

The most remarkable thing about the film is how quickly it's appeal wears thin within it's brief 90 minute runtime. 40 minutes in, just as it seems that the guy (Niklas) might get the girl (Ticia) I was already bored and fidgety, carefully watching the bar to see how much longer there was left until the end.

While Nicole Beharie turns in an excellent performance as the aspiring musician, her potential romantic partner, played by Ken Duken, comes off as a German Christian Gray; good looks but not much personality. His dialogue is at times incoherent, partially due to his accent but mostly down to the quiet tone of his voice, forcing me to watch most of the film with the subtitles on. The expression on his face is an almost constant puppy dog look with his head cocked to one side, maybe endearing to women (or men) who like that kind of thing, but to the ordinary viewer it simply makes him incredibly punchable.

The subplot between the Pastor and Luz was also a mistake, mainly due to the fact that I didn't know enough about the characters to care what happened to them. It might have made a difference if the audience found out how long the pastor had been widowed and how his wife had died, but I doubt it worth the amount of screen time it was given.

The film was very well shot, with a very picturesque quality to the establishing shots and a gorgeous warm look to the film.

My Last Day Without You is a beautiful looking film with some funny spots, a good soundtrack and an excellent performance by one of the leading actors which ultimately comes across as trying to hard to be like the infinitely better Before Sunrise, but without the fantastic script, likable, realistic and witty characters and memorable resolution. While Before Sunrise made you feel like the characters could actually work together, the clichéd ending of My Last Day Without You left me feeling unsatisfied, believing that the characters will never work together as they haven't truly grown and learnt the lesson about courage that the film is presenting. In fact the irony of the film is that for all its talk about having the courage to take risks, it follows the feel-good Rom-Com pattern to the letter, not taking any risks with the story or themes and leaving the film overall feeling empty.
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1/10
Complete Trite
sscngab30 June 2012
Aside from this being a chick flick, it caught my attention from other reviewers posts. But don't waste your time. The film is extremely meaningless and the acting is terrible. I suppose it was meant to be seen on the Hallmark Channel. I should be more careful on other people's choice of ratings when considering a sleeper (B for boring) type of movie. These must be starving actors who would do anything for a role. The plot is awkward to watch and there is absolutely no chemistry with the participants. It was very painful to sit through the whole thing and the appeal was over after the first 15 minutes. The reason for this post is to steer you clearly away from this awful showing. Your time is too valuable.
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1/10
Not realistic at all
jmrozendaal30 December 2017
This movie is really a waste of time. A guy who changed from a rich arrogant business men to a loving boy who gave up his whole career and life etc. and that in a timeframe of only 10-12 hours. Several other things were just overdone or unbelievable.
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10/10
believable
kaphibarka-463-44244417 August 2013
I am not too much into romantic movies, I rarely watch them. But this one really kept my attention, simply because of how unorthodox it is (comparing to genre fellows).There were no big screenplay-helping coincidences, just people who could act so due the state of the mind, they actually were at. One can see there are some actual events behind it. Dialogues are pretty civil and I like the fact being a different race couple isn't a leading issue. Yeah, characters are not ignorant about fact it is so ( for example dialogue about jazz musicians in Europe), but there is not the main theme. I love both Beharie and Duken- guy might be a big name in the future (I saw few of his movies and he created a few totally different personalities of his characters in them- in like Max Manus or the Ueberlingen accident.) I have edited my rating after I have seen it for the second time. I am really excited, how sincere this movie is. Keep on going the crew.
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1/10
Beware if you have kids
kirk-567-24197328 December 2012
This film was co-produced by the Euro-Africa Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a method of witnessing. Do a wikipedia search for the name of this film for more info. What is bad, is the film contains curse words and vulgar words. The vulgar words are in the background music - a rap song called Black Madoff. Because the volume is low you will most likely not notice, but your kids might! Since when is "supportin' sh** like unity..." and "F*** her phone number. I tell her to Google me..." a Christian way to reach the public? The curse and vulgar words used in the movie occur in the song at about 1:34 and 1:42. The original rap is located here so you can hear it very plainly. http://www.musicxray.com/xrays/7542

Anyway, beware, and don't take your kids to this.
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8/10
A Delightful and Refreshing Film Warning: Spoilers
I am no pseudo-movie critic so here is the short and sweet version of my opinion of this film.

Usually, my expectations of a low-budget(under 1 million to produce), independent film aren't high. This movie, however, was simply delightful! The interactions between all of the characters were believable--each scene offers a treat for your viewing pleasure.

There's a wonderful mixture of comedy, romance, and drama (not too much drama). Niklas and Ticia have such an amazing on-screen chemistry that keeps you wanting to know what happens next. The foreign driver in the story was a sweet and hilarious touch to me! The writers and director did a marvelous job at story telling, which seems to have become difficult for many to do these days.

I don't think this movie was predictable like others have said in their reviews because it does not end the way that most Romantic Comedies do-- guy comes back to girl and they run to each other for some dramatic embrace. Kiss, kiss, kiss, cue cheesy triumphant theme song, they get busy, they live happily ever after. This movie breaks that mold in a way because you are left to wonder what happens between them which is a sweet agony in a way for a viewer!

See the movie. You'll enjoy it!
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10/10
Super movie
h-m-groeizaam19 May 2012
I really love this movie .... They should make more movies like this .... I wish that they would promote this kind of movies more often in Europe....The movie was very romantic and funny to watch! I really liked this movie because it's about a black girl and a German guy...my boyfriend is also German so I could relate to the story it felt so close. This is a high quality movie. A lot of interracial movies are low budget but this one is very well produced. The story line is a bit corny but I loved it. It is a feel good movie...The actors in the movie can act and they look very good on screen together.... The female actor also played in the movie black violin I think..... also a very good movie. What can I say more .....the movie was nice and I just want to make sure that the movie gets the credit that it deserves.....
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10/10
Loved This Film!
dziskin24 October 2014
I absolutely loved this movie! The love story between the two main characters is a modern update to anything we normally see on TV. As a native New York, I also fell in love with my city again! Every thing about this movie was fantastic and I highly recommend everyone sees it!

I love Nicole Beharie in Sleepy Hallow and when I realized this was her in the movie, it gave me so many more reasons to be obsessed with this.

The film was cute, and made me happy watching it. We need more films like this, coming out of Hollywood today!

I also heard the story is inspired by the writer and how he met his late wife. How could you not fall in love with a movie like that?
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10/10
Watched it twice so far
marina-3127 April 2014
I recorded this from the UP channel and though it wasn't in HD, I still found myself loving it and couldn't bring myself to delete it when done watching it as I usually do after watching something DVR-ed. I can't really figure out how to describe what I loved about it, but I think mostly it's the interesting culture clash and, as Niklas points out, the attraction between his left-brain temperament and her right-brain creativity. The dialog was so real, so honest, and I felt like a fly on the wall getting to watch a very real human connection develop over the few hours they had together - a connection that neither expected. They each learned a lot about themselves and each other because they were both very real and honest with each other more and more as the day went on. My primary criteria for liking a movie is whether I am given a reason to care about the characters, and this story did draw me in to caring for all the characters from the start.
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9/10
Beautiful performance by Nicole Beharie
aminah_v9 December 2018
Moderate pacing, well-acted by the leads. Bonus for the vocal performances by Nicole Beharie!
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8/10
So upset!!
sspencer-6093210 June 2019
I loved the movie but hated the ending. They could have had her run into his arms or something!! Other than that I cried and laughed and not many movies like that moves me that kind of way. Loved it!!!! Just wish they would have made the ending better
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10/10
Great love at first sight love story
info-9070130 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
If you don't believe such things can happen, you won't like this film, but I've met a couple of people who did in fact fall in love at first sight, and one married 2 weeks later and have been married for 34 years, so it is possible.

This is a film about one day of their lives.

Nicole Behaire is not seen enough, and is so underrated. I don't know why. Never heard she was difficult, so it boggles the mind if not, because she is so talented. German actor Ken Duken is family perfectly cast as the disconnected corporate hitman, sent to go kill off companies. Together they make a convincing love interest.

The film is beautifully shot, the sound is great and Behaire's voice is quite perfect for the time and the music scene. It is sweet film, well worth the watch, and though there is suggestion of sex, no sex, and very little harsh language.

Well done.
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10/10
LOVE is LOVE
hsimpleton15 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This movie REALLY surprised me! I am NOT a fan of syrupy love stories, and I usually speed right past them..but...NOT THIS ONE.

Leticia (Nicole Beharie) is an up and coming NYC songwriter/singer with woes...German businessman Niklas is in town for one day to handle the shutdown of a non-productive company...by chance they meet while getting coffee, she gives him one of her demo CD's , and the flame is lit.

Ticia is kind of "ratchet" with a money crisis, while Niklas is more "refined" with plenty of ready cash. Both have emotional baggage that they have to deal with, (don't we all?) and that is what makes the events which take place in this interracial love story SO BELIEVABLE. I truly felt their love connection.

All of the sub-characters are key to the plot, I truly enjoyed the way that they complimented one another, and the acting is SUPERB!

Don't believe the low-rated comments that were left by the haters, THIS MOVIE IS GREAT!
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