The Last Bus

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1:28

The Last Bus

2022

1h 26m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

50%

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28 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

100+ 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.

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Critics Consensus

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

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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.

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Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

08/29/2021

2/5

[A] plodding road-trip movie...

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

08/27/2021

2/5

It's just depressingly crude and underworked.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Jody W

@wrenjody Apr 28

Moving, the ending was hard to believe

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Frans B

@FransB Apr 22

Charming. Well written and directed. Great cinematography, beautiful scenery. Timothy Spall excels in character, well, whole cast very convincing in character. Just a heartwarming, touching and enduring story, enjoyed it

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Alan S

@RT18777439 Mar 12

A poignant film based on a true story. Unfurling so many aspects of everyday schisms in a journey to rekindle memories of a lifelong journey through memories and meanings. Highly recommended.

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Dave C

@RT09838700 Mar 8

TS is as good as always. The story and its direction just lack any real emotional range, so the telling of this emotionally-driven tale falls flat. It's a shame

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Alle W

@candifluffy Jan 24

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.

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David J

@RT49533742 06/14/2025

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.

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The Last Bus: Trailer 1

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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)