In its better moments, writer-director Jason Lockhart's dark comedy-thriller hits notes of robust bad taste that recall John Waters, though with more of a West Coast vibe than Waters' louche Baltimore flavor. Cult appeal beckons, for a subset of viewers attracted by the transgressive ingredients (think Golden Girls go R-rated with a body count) and a nostalgic cast of geriatric screen stalwarts.
A seedy retirement home is operated by Dale (John Tartaglia), assisted by his sexy half-sister (the quite funny Jacqui Holland)—an activities director who treats the motley residents like children. This, in truth, is how a lot of them act, though new arrival Rose (Dawn Wells) is a dignified, recently widowed grandma heartlessly dumped by her daughter. Rose checks into a nest of intrigue and danger surrounding the recent murder/coverup of grumpy Norman (the final role for confetti-throwing comic Rip Taylor). Now the killer, in a cartoon-cat mask, stalks the corridors.
The murder-mystery stuff (rendered with minimal gore) does fall apart completely in the end, as though suddenly everything had to wrap up to meet a hasty deadline (complete with the introduction of a new character whose existence wasn't even hinted). Actors are largely familiar names and faces: Lee Meriwether, David Proval, Jerry Douglas, Camille Saviola, Martin Kove (experiencing recent career revival in the Cobra Kai TV series), and legendary celebrity-speech gagwriter Bruce Vilanch, all chewing the scenery with gusto.
Lead actress Wells (deceased in 2020) became a TV icon as Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island but was seen infrequently afterward. She is a delight and does not seem to have missed a beat in her comic timing and reactions since the old Sherwood Schwartz days (her wholesome beauty still abiding under an unaccustomed blonde hairdo).
If not for all tastes, the rude, wild, eye-rolling material makes a change from sentimental codger dramedies extant, from The Bucket List to Senior Moment. It does not help that several downmarket features entitled Silent But Deadly have also existed down the years, inevitably involving flatulence as a key ingredient. But intestinal gas is one of the few old-age indignities this particular naughty scenario doesn't touch. A strong optional purchase for general collections in public libraries.