The Last Word

Director Mark Pellington's The Last Word is a rare and welcome starring vehicle for octogenarian Shirley MacLaine, but after an amusingly brittle start the film degenerates into sappy geriatric comedy. MacLaine plays Harriet Lauler, a hard-as-nails old broad who, through sheer abrasiveness, has alienated everybody in her life, including her ex-husband (Philip Baker Hall) and their daughter (Anne Heche). Harriet's desire to run everything is further evident when, following a brush with death, she decides to have her obituary prepared in advance and hires the local paper's young obit writer (Amanda Seyfried) to compose it. In the process of contriving nice things to include, Harriet mellows, reconnecting with her estranged family and even quasi-adopting a disadvantaged foul-mouthed tyke who is supposed to be charmingly precocious but instead comes across as irritating. She also takes a job spinning her old vinyl record collection on an alternative radio station, becoming a celebrity in the process. And, of course, she starts to treat her chosen biographer like another daughter, with the two becoming fast friends. MacLaine remains a consummate pro, employing her considerable talent in a futile effort to give some depth to the shallow material, and for that reason alone this should be considered a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)