The Last Word (2017)

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.

Director:

Mark Pellington

Writer:

Stuart Ross Fink

Stars:

Shirley MacLaine, Amanda Seyfried, AnnJewel Lee Dixon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shirley MacLaine	...	Harriet
Amanda Seyfried	...	Anne
AnnJewel Lee Dixon	...	Brenda (as AnnJewel Lee Majestic Dixon)
Thomas Sadoski	...	Robin Sands
Philip Baker Hall	...	Edward
Gedde Watanabe	...	Gardener
Tom Everett Scott	...	Ronald Odom
Joel Murray	...	Joe Mueller
Yvette Freeman	...	Housekeeper
Valeri Ross	...	Wanda Byers (as Valerie Ross)
Anne Heche	...	Elizabeth
Steven Culp	...	Sam Sherman
Adina Porter	...	Bree Wilson
Todd Louiso	...	Dr. Morgan
Chloe Wepper	...	Agency Receptionist

Storyline

Harriet (Shirley MacLaine) is a successful, retired businesswoman who wants to control everything around her until the bitter end. To make sure her life story is told her way, she pays off her local newspaper to have her obituary written in advance under her watchful eye. But Anne (Amanda Seyfried), the young journalist assigned to the task, refuses to follow the script and instead insists on finding out the true facts about Harriett's life, resulting in a life-altering friendship.

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Plot Keywords:

obituary | sleeping pills | female dj | radio dj | wine | 

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Taglines:

An unexpected friendship that began at the end.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Última Palavra

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,630, 5 March 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,782,667, 19 May 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franklin Street, Myriad Pictures, Parkside Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

May have been inspired by the Alfred Nobel incident. Upon reading his prematurely published obituary with horror, the Swedish inventor of dynamite left the majority of his considerable fortune to fund the Nobel Prizes, in an attempt to improve his legacy.

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Goofs

At the end of the film, Harriet's gift to Anne is a pair of airline tickets to From LAX to Andalusia. Andalusia isn't a single city or airport. It's an autonomous region in southern Spain divided into eight provinces actually serviced by six different public airports, all of which can legally handle international flights. The Málaga Airport is the largest and busiest of these.

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Quotes

Harriet: Fall on your face. Fail. Fail spectacularly. Because when you fail, you learn. When you fail, you live.

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Connections

References Deadpool (2016)

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Soundtracks

"The Way I Feel'
Written by Emmanuel Chanda
Performed by Witch
Courtesy of Witch and Now-Again Records, LLC

User Reviews

The Last Word may be highly predictable even with different concept,it worked because of Shirley's worthy performance.

The Last Word (2017): Dramas may not have strong content but it always triumphs with extraordinary performances and emotional scenes.But surprisingly The Last Word has good content and star-cast is very good.But at the end it just managed to get just an OK reaction from me.

Plot: Harriet (Shirley MacLaine) is a successful, retired businesswoman who wants to control everything around her until the bitter end. To make sure her life story is told her way, she pays off her local newspaper to have her obituary written in advance under her watchful eye. But Anne (Amanda Seyfried), the young journalist assigned to the task, refuses to follow the script and instead insists on finding out the true facts about Harriett's life, resulting in a life-altering friendship

My Review: Here's another one of those by-the-numbers heart-warmers whose every narrative move you can predict 10 minutes before it unfolds.So why does this story about an unlovable woman who wants to edit her own obituary still work like a charm?It stars Shirley MacLaine, who's gloriously grumpy – and appealing – as Harriet Lawlor, a former ad executive who has alienated everyone in her life, including her daughter. Even her priest can't stand her.

The idea of writing your own obituary when things aren't going well itself has scope of good comedy and drama.The Last Word has both the factors but only in limited quantity.The character seems to be in search of purpose much like the script itself. It's engaging enough to see through to the end, despite the material being so light it's a wonder it doesn't float away.

This entirely predictable film has became watchable mainly because of Shirley MacLaine who rocked with her stellar performance.There is an energy and commitment in her performance that gives the film a jolt of life.Seyfried, who can be a vivid actress, has been handed an underwritten part.

So,The Last Word may be highly predictable even with different concept,it worked because of Shirley's worthy performance.

My rating 6.5/10