‘City of Your Final Destination’ Isn’t Worth a Visit

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Rating: 1.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Although “City of Your Final Destination” is not the latest installment of the Rube Goldberg-inspired splatter series, it does seem to be populated with the walking dead. The only similarity shared between the “Final Destination” franchise and this picturesque drama is an overwhelming abundance of tedium, generated by a plot that often seems as stagnant as its listless characters.

In his heyday, director James Ivory made one wonderful, timeless movie after another. His collaboration with producer Ismail Merchant lasted over four decades. The filmmaking duo proved that sophisticated, proudly literate dramas like “A Room With A View,” “Howard’s End” and “Mr. & Mrs. Bridge” could find a wide international audience. Their films were understated, deliberately paced and novelistic but never dull. It was exhilarating to observe the subtle, wordless attraction between Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson in 1993’s “The Remains of the Day,” which still stands as the enduring masterpiece of Merchant Ivory Productions.

Read Matt Fagerholm’s full review of “City of Your Final Destination” in our reviews section.

“City” is the first film Ivory has made without Merchant, who died in 2005, but not before the team’s work was turning stale. Just as Woody Allen annually serves up a pale imitation of his previous work, Ivory has been toiling away at pictures that do little more than evoke memories of the past. What used to be expertly nuanced drama has deteriorated into hollow pageantry verging on self-parody. There isn’t a single moment in Ivory’s latest effort that feels the least bit authentic. Like Allen, Ivory has the power to assemble a cast of formidable talent, but he has no idea how to utilize their abilities. Instead, he has them recite turgid dialogue that collects dust immediately after leaving their mouths. Screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala has been writing Merchant Ivory films ever since the team’s 1963 debut feature, “The Householder,” which was an adaptation of Jhabvala’s own novel. Her legacy is as rich and impressive as Ivory’s, though on the basis of this monotonous bore, both longtime collaborators are advised to either take a break, or throw in the towel.

Continuing reading for Matt Fagerholm’s full “City of Your Final Destination” review.

City of Your Final Destination
Photo credit: Screen Media Films