The Last Station (2009)

Leo Tolstoy wrote “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina.” But I never read his books. Boo-hiss on me. So I’m flying blind on “The Last Station,” a fine drama about the famed Russian writer’s last days, marked by a wild/loving marriage and scores of disciples. Tolstoy preached Christ-type stuff such as feed and clothe the poor, foregoing wealth and property.(Smoke that, Sarah and Glenn.) Facing death, he wanted to give all he had away, yet knew that doing so could ruin his wife. Yet he did it. Christopher Plummer plays Tolstoy and Helen Mirren is his long-suffering, patient Sofya. When these two actors are on screen, there’s nothing else better to watch. They are magic. The Tolstoys are run up the walls by Vladimir Chertkov (Paul Giamatti), an agent/confident who has the soul of George Steinbrenner. James McAvoy also has a big role in this large cast as a young follower. The extra characters are fine, but never truly compelling, and every scene without Plummer and Mirren makes you long for them. The dialogue is amazing. B+