[yasr_overall_rating]
Harriet is a retired businesswoman who tries to control everything around her. When she decides to write her own obituary, a young journalist takes up the task of finding out the truth resulting in a life-altering friendship.
You know when you see the trailer for a movie, and it looks really good, and then you go see it and you realize that all the best moments were in the trailer? That’s exactly what happened with “The Last Word.” As actors, I like Shirley MacLaine and Amanda Seyfried but if I’m being totally honest, Ms. Seyfried has never truly impressed me with her acting abilities but out of the jumbled mess that is this film, she is its one saving grace. The trailer made this look like a heartfelt story, about a lonely woman at the end of her life, that truly wants to make a difference to those around her while she still can but the truth of the matter is quite different; Harriet (Shirley MacLaine) is in her early ’80s and while reading through the obituaries of friends and acquaintances she once knew, she takes it upon herself to hire Anne (Amanda Seyfried), the obituary writer at the local newspaper who made them sound like loving, warmhearted angels.
She proceeds to inform her that these people were, in fact, assholes and tells Anne that she is to write her obituary while she is still alive, so she can approve it before her time is up. So far so good, a somewhat intriguing premise. Anne begrudgingly takes on the assignment because, you know, both women have absolutely nothing in common and will become best friends by the end of the movie but when she interviews Harriet’s former family, friends, and colleagues, they have nothing but unflattering and negative comments to say about her. Anne does her best to put an earnest obituary together for Harriet, lying as she goes but naturally, Harriet rejects it and kicks Anne out of her house. Later, Harriet reluctantly makes her way to Anne’s apartment where she formulates a game plan where she realizes that in order to have a truthful, affectionate obituary written about her, she is going to have to go outside her comfort zone.
She visits a local at-risk facility who caters to troubled kids and states that she will befriend one of them, impart some wisdom to her, and that will be one item checked off her list for an obituary that people will read and admire her for. Then she will contribute a sizable donation to a local charity or business that really needs it, and last but certainly not least, she will try to reconnect with her estranged daughter Elizabeth (Anne Heche), whom she has not spoken to for many years. Of course, as one would expect, everything falls into place perfectly, even with the quintessential hiccups encountered along the way. And by the story’s end, Harriet passes away, family and friends mourn her, and Anne manages to write the most gut-wrenching and stirring obituary ever.
“The Last Word” panders to its audience the whole way through, never allowing for any genuine emotion or moments of levity. Harriet explains in the very beginning of the film, in great detail, that she has a plan and she follows it thoroughly, never once deviating. Had Harriet come to the conclusion, in her final years, that because she is a retired successful businesswoman with a lot to offer, and not just financially, the story would have benefited from it exponentially but as it is, there is nothing genuine or authentic about it. While Harriet, Anne, and Brenda (AnnJewel Lee Dixon), the troubled young child she ‘adopts,’ are on a road trip to see Elizabeth, they stop off at a motel and in the evening, the three women jump into a nearby lake, not because they really want to, but because the script dictates that it will be a memory they will all cherish forever. The next morning, right before they get back on the road, Anne takes a selfie of them, smiling and happy, which I correctly guessed would unsurprisingly wind up on the wall at Harriet’s predestined funeral.
You never once get the feeling that Harriet has genuinely learned from these experiences, giving her a renewed fervor and passion for life. Instead, we see her mentally checking off each accomplishment as it comes to pass, so that she can move on to the next one in a timely manner. Because Harriet is so unlikable and controlling, you never actually connect with her, no matter how badly you want to and when she finally does pass away, you actually feel a sigh of relief for everyone else left behind, not having to deal with her any more. Her actions and motivations are not based on a genuine desire to want to make amends for any former misdoings or to be more kind to those around her, at least those willing to still be in her life, like her groundskeeper, or housemaid, they are driven by her narcissistic desire to be remembered as someone she is not, and never was, a good human being. The fact that the movie was also shot on digital video instead of film, shows exactly what it is, an overly melodramatic celluloid soap opera. Mark Pellington, the director of the effectively creepy “The Mothman Prophecies,” stumbles with this disaster, but hopefully, his next project will get him back on track.
Now playing in select theaters
