Movie Review: The Last Word

Shirley MacLaine comes back to the big screen for The Last Word, and she is perfect in the part: curmudgeon older lady who decides to change aspects of her life before she (eventually) passes away. The cast is what makes this movie so good, and it's a fun film to watch.

Harriet (MacLaine) is very Type-A, and likes to be in control of everything in her life. It only makes sense, then, that she goes to her local newspaper and asks to speak with the obituary writer, Anne (Amanda Seyfried), with an unusual request: she wants Anne to write her obituary before she dies, so that she can read it. Anne's boss tells her that Harriet was a very big advertiser in the paper back in the day, so they're essentially obligated to do this (and hey, if she leaves the newspaper some money in her will, that's an extra bonus). Anne starts talking to Harriet's friends and family, though those terms can be used loosely - most people hate her, and family-wise, she only has an ex-husband and a daughter to whom she doesn't talk.

Over the course of their journey, however, Harriet and Anne realize that they're more similar than they originally thought, and perhaps you really can change your life in the last home stretch.Read more »