Did you know that Tubi isn’t just a place you can watch movies for free? It’s also making its own original movies and shows!
I have actually seen a few other Tubi Originals before, and I really like most of the ones I have seen and this movie is no exception.
The Final Rose was released through Tubi on October 14th, 2022 and was directed by Tim Cruz (who also wrote the film with writer Blake Rutledge.) It follows a single mother (played by Christina Masterson) who arrives on a remote island to compete on the country’s number one dating show. No, not the Bachelor. No, not Love Is Blind. No, not Ex on the Beach. Why, it’s the fictional sensation Love at Last! Only problem with this? Someone is picking off the lovely ladies one by one! Oh no!
I had a few things I really liked about this movie. There was a pretty good opening scene. (And I am a sucker for good opening scenes. I am huge fan of Scream (All six movies. Shame they didn’t make another worth mentioning.)) The films makes good use of practical effects, and one instance of really bad CGI. The characters are one of my favorite parts of this movie.
Despite mostly playing things up for the camera, the contestants on the show all feel very real. Jess is a very good audience surrogate as someone who’s seeing all the bad going on and becoming rightfully nervous by “odd coincidences.” Chloe (played by Chloe Alexander) is a down-to-earth girl’s girl, who is a decent person, while still being there to get herself a man. (I love love love Chloe!) While playing herself up as a villainous character, there’s a mysterious air to Madison that clues you in that she may not just be there for the man. And the other named girls, also very good and fun. Hannah (played by Kyla Nova) and Abigail (played by Taylor Foster) are also standout characters as they both make a big impression, despite a smaller amount of screen time. And the sought after “beau” (Garrett (played by Robert Palmer Watkins)) is not actually as dreamy as the viewers and contestants think, as the movie provides behind the camera access to just how shitty he is as a person.
And since this is a horror movie, the show’s crew also play in as characters in this movie. It does a fun twist where the show’s process kind of plays out on screen, along with scenes in the director’s tent/writer’s room. Notable members of the crew characters include the show’s director Bill (played by Roger Howarth), the show’s host Lance (played by Brian McGovern), Nicki (played by Brittany Underwood), Patrick (played by Robert Adamson), and Maya (played by Sarah-Nicole Robles.)
This movie held my attention, so most of the notes I am making are from memory. That being said, this movie had me hooked. And if this movie can get me hooked like that, I can’t help but love it!
The story does have its pacing issues. Because what do you mean after about fifteen minutes (I think in the movie it was at least over the course of a day or two) over half the cast is eliminated and there are only three women left for Garret to choose from? I do think the time was used well, focusing on Jess’s rising nerves, her chemistry with Garret, and the crew having their own issues like “Where are all of our contestants going so fast?” And I do realize that if every contestant was fully fleshed out, the movie would be as long as the newest Marvel movie (that being said, I’d enjoy it more.)
The horror elements in this are solid. And not even just the lurking killer. Our main character is seeing that this crew has no tabs on their eliminated contestants and seems to be actively covering it all up. She’s also worried that if eliminated, she won’t get a chance to talk to her daughter again for a while. Which, for a single mother, I can imagine is horrifying. And that’s a realistic fear that Jess has throughout the film, with the film crew either feeding into that, or spinning that for the drama of the show.
Obviously, I cannot spoil everything on this review. I do want to say that the final act of this movie blew me away. Things devolve into chaos, with the final women requesting/demanding to leave. Death. Death. All that horror movie stuff. The most stunning pat was the killer reveal. I was stunned. But thinking back, the reveal and the reasoning… The set up was there. It didn’t come from nowhere. I just missed a very obvious line of breadcrumbs.
This movie gets an 8.5/10 from me! It was a fun watch, very campy, with some characters you can’t help but love (or hate!) I recommend watching this one and experiencing it for yourself if you’re a fan of horror or reality tv.
Sorry this one took so long to write. Lots of things happening on my end. Haven’t had a chance to sit down and blog and I have so many more movies to cover. O.O Oooooh my.
Scribbles of a Chee 
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