My Last Five Girlfriends (2008)

32% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
36% of users liked it
(686 ratings)

Based on the novel On Love by Alain de Botton, writer-director Julian Kemp's My Last Five Girlfriends traces the romantic journey of thirtysomething bachelor Duncan (Brendan Patricks. As the film opens, the despondent Duncan is apparently preparing to take his own life, but not before taking the… More Based on the novel On Love by Alain de Botton, writer-director Julian Kemp's My Last Five Girlfriends traces the romantic journey of thirtysomething bachelor Duncan (Brendan Patricks. As the film opens, the despondent Duncan is apparently preparing to take his own life, but not before taking the time to send a message to the last five women he dated. Taking the form of a whirlwind tour through "Duncan World," the film is a comedic exploration of his failed relationships. First there's Wendy (Kelly Adams), who can't get over her ex. Then Duncan adapts a variety of different personalities in a failed effort to charm Olive (Jane March of The Lover). His relationship with Rhona (Cécile Cassel) ends badly because he can't appreciate her sense of style. Things go more smoothly with Natalie (Edith Bukovics), but he pulls back when he begins to feel that they're moving too fast. After their breakup, he pursues Natalie's friend Gemma (Naomie Harris of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels). With Gemma, Duncan feels that he's learned from his past mistakes and found a potentially lasting and true love, but she seems reluctant to commit. My Last Five Girlfriends had its world premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, where it was shown in the Discovery section. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 27 min.
Directed By: Julian Kemp
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 23, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Jan 25, 2011
Studio: Willing Pilowsky Productions

Critic Reviews

Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times
My Last Five Girlfriends is a stab at an anti- romantic comedy, but with too dull a blade.
Mike Hale, New York Times
It's hard to get a date when you won't stop talking about yourself even though you don't have much to say.
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
Enough visual effect shots to rival a Transformers picture. And what does the screen blizzard amount to? An intolerable ride of self-importance and easily avoidable emotional trauma.
S. James Wegg, JWR
Director/writer Julian Kemp has totally embraced the notion that life is a merry-go-round and created a quick-paced, whimsical examination of the timeless quest for finding true love.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Packed with extremely clever touches, this film demonstrates that brains simply aren't enough for the rom-com genre
Derek Malcolm, This is London
If the film is an intriguing attempt to do something different by way of a plot, it is not different enough to do more than pass the time.
Karen Krizanovich, Radio Times
The attempts at being witty end up being more gimmick than skill, and produce stereotypical characters depicted by average performances.
Elliott Noble, Sky Movies
Kemp engages the eye with a variety of camera tricks and animated inventions that belie his modest budget.
Christopher Tookey, Daily Mail [UK]
The miracle is not that this guy lost five girlfriends, but that he ever attracted them in the first place.
Wendy Ide, Times [UK]
Taking the central role of Duncan is Brendan Patricks, a pallid chap with pink watery eyes that make him look like a rabbit in the final stages of myxomatosis.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
There are some nice insights, and it's got a higher IQ than most movies on this subject, but the irritation factor is still high.
Catherine Bray, Film4
It's as hard to root for somebody who views his relationships through this egocentric prism as you would expect.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
Bright, ambitious, and almost terminally self-conscious.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Enjoyable, inventively directed romcom with a likeable performance from Brendan Patricks and some decent gags.
Robbie Collin, News of the World
It's well worth a look.
Jane Crowther, Total Film
Some flatly drawn characters, contrived sojourns from the story and a niggling sense of smugness make this a disappointing triumph of gimmickry over heart.
William Thomas, Empire Magazine
Packed with ambition and ideas, but Julian Kemp's subversive rom-com is bogged down by wild fluctuations in tone and acting ability.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
Kemp makes a virtue of his choppy cuts and fantasy segments, although the film does take a little while to settle into a rhythm and one or two of the earlier girlfriends feel less fleshed out than others.
Ron Wilkinson, Monsters and Critics
Some very different cinematic methods and above-average acting and direction make this entourage of beautiful people a rom-com worth watching.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

The basic idea of this movie was clever, and imaginative. I love quirky, and this was definitely quirky, but sometimes quirky isn't enough. I usually like quirky English movies, especially, but this one just seemed flat.