Last Shot Screening at the Wisconsin Film Festival

Screening of 'Last Shot' at the Wisconsin Film Festival.

Last Shot tells the story of 12-year-old Caden Isaacs, a talented basketball player coping with family tragedy. Co-produced and scripted by UW alum, Todd M. Friedman, the film features some familiar faces in its cast: Michael Rappaport; former Saturday Night Live legend, Larraine Newman; and Jaime Pressley, so memorable as Joy in the NBC sitcom, My Name is Earl. Former NBA all-star Baron Davis also appears as Caden’s coach. Yet, from the first frame to the last, Last Shot is carried by its young star, Dylan Friedman. The film includes familiar sports tropes: "the athletic prodigy," the "tough but fair coach," the "serious injury," the "underdog" story, and the "athlete's personal redemption." Yet, the narrative spins these genre conventions in unusual directions, often veering into the territory of dramatic realism. Basketball may furnish the subject matter for Last Shot, but at the end of the day, the film’s story turns on difficult family issues, making it a poignant tale about kinship, love, grief, loss, and healing.