It seems like the only characters that actors over 70 can play are crusty grumps. Shirley MacLaine is the latest on the bandwagon, as a retired businesswoman with control issues. She’s so concerned about her obit, that she assigns a young writer (Amanda Seyfried) to make it meaningful. Usually, this kind of film thrives on quirky, but this one flails with mediocre eccentricity (she becomes a radio DJ and mentors a sassy young black girl). MacLaine is great as the curmudgeon, but it’s the young AnnJewel Lee Dixon whose personality steals the movie. Even so, they can’t rescue every predictable beat of the story or the lack of emotional depth to add much real warmth to her obit.
(3 / 5)