Review: The Last Cup plays exactly as you imagine a documentary focused on beer pong would: it’s lighthearted, full of hilarious one-liners and an endless stream of booze. In many ways, the comparison between it and the now cult-classic King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is well deserved. I will always argue that yes, though both are not intellectually edifying in anyway, the directors acknowledge this and put all their effort into making a great film. You actually might be surprised to find that a documentary on beer drinking would even have a story, but it does. And though it takes some time to find out who the true main characters are, once it locks onto the best team it can find, the story really takes off. In fact, The Last Cup plays like any great sports film. Hoosiers, Rocky, the Karate Kid; they all can be found within this drunken classic. I rarely say that a movie (especially a documentary) gets me so energized I’ll actually cheer or boo depending on the outcome, but director Dan Lindsay made me do exactly that. But the heart of the story is the characters and somehow they managed to get the whole spectrum of personalities. There’s the calculating nerd, the kind-hearted veteran, the wide-eyed rookie (my favorite), the cocky/crazy/hated jock, and the fun-loving prep star… plus numerous other interesting (read: inebriated) minor characters. Most likely you will find something endearing in all of them, and if you don’t, you probably were never a fan of the likes of Caddyshack, Major League or the more recent Beer Fest. What’s most impressive with all of these individuals is how they simultaneously reinforce and break stereotypes associated with drinking games. Yes, many of them are from the frat-boy background, but there’s actually more to their characters- especially the wide-eyed rookie (who literally steals the film whenever he’s on camera). Of course, to the 99% of people who will watch Last Cup, none of this truly matters. They want something to enjoy while drinking and to quote whenever they play beer pong. And Lindsay’s documentary delivers whole heartily. Even if you are a Mormon minister, you will certainly enjoy repeating the countless one liners these drunken fellows spit out while tossing a ping pong around. Yes, you will feel dumber and your ‘elitist’ friends will judge you for watching it. But beer pong is not about high culture, it’s about competition, new friends and lots of booze; and that’s everything Last Cup offers. Review by Matthew Abshire Informative: 4- almost everything you could possibly want to know about the characters… and of course, beer pong Entertainment: 5- delightfully and drunkenly hilarious Technical: 5- great pacing, and well developed storylines Overall: 4.5- like the fun drunk at any party, Last Cup is totally mindless but always entertaining
 
Format: Theater Year: 2009 Running Time: 84 Min Distributor: Film 101 Productions Producer: Josh Otten and Daniel Tischler Director: Dan Lindsay Date Reviewed: 5-28-2009 Story: In January of 2006, just outside of Las Vegas, Billy Gaines and Duncan Carroll held the inaugural World Series of Beer Pong (WSOBP). In 2007, Billy and Duncan doubled the prize money to $20,000, and in doing so, more than tripled the number of teams. Last Cup follows four of these competitors for whom beer pong is more than a simple past time, it's a way of life. Using strict training regiments, fierce dedication, and statistical analysis that rivals even the most ardent sabermetrics these competitors will stop at nothing to claim the world title. A movie about the seemingly dismissible world of competitive beer pong, Last Cup cuts through the drunken fog that has shaped the public's perception of the game and examines the players thirst for competition, their reluctance to "grow up" and their desire for fame and glory (from AFF website).