Rent The Last Word (2017)

Won't set the world on fire but well acted by Shirley - The Last Word review by DH

Shirley was 83 when she made this and is incredibly sprightly for a lady in her advanced years. She has lost nothing in her acting ability and this makes Amanda look pretty wooden in comparison. Can't see Amanda S winning an Oscar anytime soon.

If you like and admire Shirley MacLaine then you'll enjoy this gentle movie, if not, then avoid.

Pc, #metoo movie that starts well that becomes a box-ticking TV movie melodrama. Enough already! - The Last Word review by PV

Well, if you love 'political correctness' you'll adore this. Personally, I hate #metoo diversity-box-ticking movies Hollywood is spewing out of late (most written by white men, ironically - but they know they have to have so-called 'strong' female leads to get scripts made).

But this all starts well enough in a TV movie sort of way - as a sort of Scrooge redemption story. But oh my, then it becomes a #metoo femi-melodrama ticking pretty much every diversity box there is: people of colour TICK, disadvantaged girl child of colour TICK (and THE MOST irritating child actor I have seen in a long time - are we supposed to think this black girl is special, cute and talented?); female bonding TICK; older women TICK; career women TICK; No main white male characters TICK; what white male characters there are shown as buffoons or monsters TICK.

If Hollywood thinks it'll compete against the likes of Netflicks and Amazon by ticking diversity boxes, it has seriously underestimated its audience. We don't need KINDS of people and movie making via pc committee; we need GOOD people and yes, very many are white men.

These films always reverse roles as if that's clever - so all women are career women disadvantaged by nasty wasty men (only white men though; ethnic men are all heroes); and here we have the only main white male character who is a house husband.Do you see what they did there? The man is playing a traditional female role and the women playing traditional male roles. Wow. Genius.

AND as is usual in such movies, a female lunges at and kisses the man she fancies which is seen as good and empowering; but hey sisters, aren't you saying that's sexual assault if a man does it to a woman? So you DON'T want equality then? Think it through eh?

So anyway, watchable in a TV movie melodrama sort of way, but forgettable - and with a disadvantage girl of colour character SO annoying, rude, irritating, my mum would say "that child needs a good smack" and I agree LOL!

2 stars. JUST.