Last Holiday

Play trailer

Last Holiday

1950

1h 29m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

When ordinary middle-class salesman George Bird (Alec Guinness) is diagnosed with a rare and fatal illness, he decides to spend his few remaining days in luxury. Cashing in his savings, he buys a fancy new wardrobe and poses as a wealthy businessman at a posh seaside resort. Unexpectedly, the dying man's luck begins to change during his holiday, from winning at gambling to establishing friendships with his fellow guests, most notably Sheila Rockingham (Beatrice Campbell).

Joseph Jon Lanthier

Slant Magazine

Alec Guinness is one of classic cinema's truly genuine curiosities.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 14, 2009

Full Review

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

The picture is surprisingly moving, delicately handled and full of lovely vignettes.

Feb 9, 2006

Full Review

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Simple and modest in structure but delightfully rich in character.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 28, 2006

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Slight and mildly amusing dark comedy of rebirth and regret.

Rated: B-

Oct 26, 2010

Full Review

Chris Cabin

Filmcritic.com

the film would not register above passable if not for its central figure

Rated: 3/5

Jun 20, 2009

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Aug 5, 2005

Full Review

Read all reviews

isla s

I found this a bit bland and not as amusing as I'd hoped. I was interested to see the original film, after having seen the remake with Queen Latifah some 10+ years ago - suffice to say, its certainly rather different but then I suppose thats a given!. I don't think I've seen many (any?) films with Alex Guinness in before, so that was interesting. I also recognised Sid James who plays Joe Clarence. It wasn't an uninteresting film but the plot pace was a little slow for my taste. There were some amusing moments, whereby characters get the wrong end of the stick and make incorrect conclusions based on the somewhat bizarre traveling habits and behaviour of the main character. I found one of the hotel employees, a very quietly spoken lady, to be quite nice and soemwhat memorable. I thought it was interesting to see how the main character attempted to open up, to deal with the situation he found himself in. As an old fashioned character drama its not bad and there is a certain charm to it, although it isn't one of the particularly memorable older British films I've seen.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Superb cast painting a lovely story. Sit back & enjoy the cameos. Very British, very moving & of its time. Wonderful.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Has an interesting mix of drama with a set of mildly amusing characters, although this is not a comedy. It's a pretty good character study.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

charming British comedy where a salesman is told he is to die soon spends his savings on an expensive holiday and starts to live his life to the max

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great story, excellent cast, the film sticks with you--Guinness Pure Genius!!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Extremely overrated. Starts off well, but quickly becomes stodgy. I'd pass on this one.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Henry Cass

Director

Alec Guinness

George Bird

Beatrice Campbell

Sheila Rockingham

Kay Walsh

Mrs. Poole

Bernard Lee

Inspector Wilton

Wilfrid Hyde-White

Chalfont

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Magic Mike XXL

66%

55%

Magic Mike XXL

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Magic Mike XXL

The Bucket List

40%

77%

The Bucket List

Watchlist

Something for Everyone

83%

71%

Something for Everyone

Watchlist

Dreamland

67%

50%

Dreamland

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Dreamland

The Romantic Englishwoman

80%

38%

The Romantic Englishwoman

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critical Consensus: A Regal "Holiday," A Well-Trodden "Road," A Tepid "Tristan"

Trailer Bulletin: Last Holiday

View more photos

Synopsis

When ordinary middle-class salesman George Bird (Alec Guinness) is diagnosed with a rare and fatal illness, he decides to spend his few remaining days in luxury. Cashing in his savings, he buys a fancy new wardrobe and poses as a wealthy businessman at a posh seaside resort. Unexpectedly, the dying man's luck begins to change during his holiday, from winning at gambling to establishing friendships with his fellow guests, most notably Sheila Rockingham (Beatrice Campbell).

Director: Henry Cass
Producer: Stephen Mitchell
Screenwriter: J.B. Priestley
Production Co: Warner Bros., Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 9, 2014
Runtime: 1h 29m