Matthew Modine (of Netflix’s Stranger Things and 2011’s Wrong Turn) plays Steve in The Martini Shot, a terminally ill film director who is looking to make one last movie before his “time is up”. Even his doctor (John Cleese, the funniest he’s been since Rat Race) thinks the idea of Steve’s cinematic Irish swan song may be too ambitious given the filmmaker’s condition. But with such a loyal assistant (Fiona Glascott) and an open-minded film crew game for anything, Steve doesn’t see any mountains he can’t climb.

But one has to wonder: how can Steve accomplish so many things in so little time? And, why aren’t the creatives around Steve pushing back when the shoot gets too challenging? How can Steve travel around Ireland so fast? And, how can he cast former actor friends who have since died?

Modine gives an amazing performance in this ethereal, existential drama. Steve is a difficult character that requires to be stubborn yet charming, all while earning the audience’s trust before sinking further into the film’s more enigmatic qualities. A tall order to ask from Modine, considering the broader details to this story are fairly ambiguous. But just as a similar fantastical folk tale was told in the equally life-affirming Tulipani: Love, Honour & a Bicycle, movie goers can either nitpick the magic realism or decide that these eccentricities are collaborating towards a poetic meaning. I suggest choosing the latter to completely uncover how delightful The Martini Shot can be.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie