Movie review
June 18, 2021 · 88 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
A 2021 British drama follows elderly widower Tom as he travels the length of Britain on local buses after his wife's death, retracing their shared life journey while becoming an unwitting social media sensation through encounters with strangers. The story centers on personal grief, marital devotion, and quiet determination amid everyday British life. One noticeable scene shows Tom confronting a drunk man harassing a Muslim woman in a niqab, and the finale nods to multicultural community spirit as a positive aspect of modern Britain.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Last Bus.
Woke representation / casting
All principal roles use appropriate British actors in a realistic domestic UK setting with no forced diversity, race/gender swaps, mismatched casting, or audience-visible identity signaling in the main ensemble.
Woke political dialogue
Limited to one brief scene in which Tom directly calls out and shames a racist for abusing a Muslim passenger using plain anti-bigotry language; no extended activist speeches, jargon, or ideological debates elsewhere.
Identity-driven story themes
Episodic encounters with diverse groups and a finale celebrating multicultural community spirit appear as background color rather than driving arcs, character development, or central messaging.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The film presents everyday racism and petty bureaucracy negatively while affirming tolerance and diversity as positive British values through Tom's actions and the viral community finale, offering mild cultural messaging about inclusive modern Britain.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
One fringe online comment accused "woke" elements; zero meaningful backlash, news coverage, or widespread claims of activist content or propaganda.
Creator track record context
No relevant prior activist or identity-driven work by director or writer.
Production
