The Last Bus

Play trailer

1:28

The Last Bus

2022

1h 26m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

50%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

John O'Groats, Scotland: An elderly man, Tom (Timothy Spall), whose wife has just passed away uses only local buses on a nostalgic trip to carry her ashes all the way across the UK to Land's End, where they originally met, using his free bus pass. Unbeknownst to Tom, his journey begins to capture the imagination of the local people that he comes across and, ultimately, becomes a nationwide story.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Not even typically brilliant work from Timothy Spall is enough to keep The Last Bus from sputtering into disappointment.

Read Critics Reviews

Tomris Laffly

Variety

02/18/2022

For a tender movie that follows an old man on a long and demanding multi-bus excursion to honor his late wife’s wishes, the placid affair has curiously little emotional range, and an even narrower sense of stakes.

Go to Full Review

Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

08/29/2021

2/5

[A] plodding road-trip movie...

Go to Full Review

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

08/27/2021

2/5

It's just depressingly crude and underworked.

Go to Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/16/2022

4/5

“The Last Bus” is several things, but above all it’s a moving meditation on life, love, and the commitments we make to those closest to us. It’s also a beautiful reminder of the blessing of memories.

Go to Full Review

Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

04/23/2022

C

Adding a modern social-media twist to the episodic odyssey only exacerbates the sappiness Spall cant entirely mitigate.

Go to Full Review

Graeme Tuckett

The Post NZ

04/14/2022

1.5/5

Spall does what he can -- but The Last Bus only sputters to life and credibility in a few flashback sequences.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Alle W

@candifluffy 4d

It's so depressing, could have been nicer and a good premise but my God, we ended up watching Schindler's List afterwards to cheer ourselves up.

See more

David J

Jun 14

Really enjoyed. I can't help feeling like something was missing (though I can't quite put my finger on what it is that's missing either!) so I wouldn't quite go as high as 5 stars but it was a thoughtful look at a man who has lived a lot of life and experiences some of the different sides of humanity, on his extraordinarily long journey. It's a really masterful performance by Spall, too. Well worth a watch.

See more

Alain E

@AlainE Feb 10

I wanted to like this but too much cheap sentimentality and way too many flashbacks make it impossible to watch. Nine minutes was my limit.

See more

David H

Feb 7

Mawkish and simplistic script undermines a good premise. Spall does his best and that just about makes it worth it.

See more

Darcy B

@Darcy007 11/06/2024

The Last Bus is a deeply touching journey of love, loss, and resilience. At its core, it’s about one man’s devotion to honoring his late wife’s final wish — a journey that’s both physically and emotionally challenging. The film doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities older people face, but these moments are beautifully balanced by unexpected acts of kindness from strangers; giving it a bittersweet warmth. With skillful direction, it feels as if we’re right there beside him, sharing each setback and every heartwarming encounter. It’s a story that lingers — a quiet, brilliant tribute to love that transcends loss.

See more

Lynn K

@LynnW 10/20/2024

This film had so much potential and had expected a feel good end. However, apart from some initial, uplifting views and a great performance from Timothy Spall this emphasised the worst of humanity and was actually quite depressing. We kept waiting for it to lighten up and there to be one or two more helpful people en route.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Gillies MacKinnon

Director

Timothy Spall

Tom

Phyllis Logan

Mary

Grace Calder

Fran

Brian Pettifer

Billy

Celyn Jones

Doctor Martin

Minamata

78%

91%

Minamata

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Minamata

Wolf

45%

62%

Wolf

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Wolf

The Forgiven

68%

57%

The Forgiven

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Forgiven

The Almond and the Seahorse

23%

53%

The Almond and the Seahorse

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Almond and the Seahorse

Hector

94%

75%

Hector

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Last Bus: Trailer 1

1:28

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

John O'Groats, Scotland: An elderly man, Tom (Timothy Spall), whose wife has just passed away uses only local buses on a nostalgic trip to carry her ashes all the way across the UK to Land's End, where they originally met, using his free bus pass. Unbeknownst to Tom, his journey begins to capture the imagination of the local people that he comes across and, ultimately, becomes a nationwide story.

Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Producer: Roy Boulter, Sol Papadopoulos
Screenwriter: Joe Ainsworth
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Films
Production Co: Kreo Films FZ, Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology, Hurricane Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 18, 2022, Limited
Runtime: 1h 26m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now