Wild Oats

Both Shirley and Jessica are experienced talents capable of bringing to live a real topper script, compared to this humdrum 1980s TV movie script they've been saddled with.

If they had their hands on a truly competent script, these two would sizzle in both the comedic and dramatic aspects. The direction don't fare any much better, and all you get is a lazy evening mildly enjoyable fare.

Demi Moore is given next to nothing real to do here, except mouth tacky predictable soap opera lines ... another waste!

What wasted opportunity with such acting talents on hand!

Andy Tennant (Director here) just snoozing out another of his sub-par bland celluloid.

The producer, script writer, director ... all ought to be zip-locked and cast away into 80s TV movie land!

This charming well written comedy caper could easily have been painful and unfunny but it is actually quite good and laugh out loud funny in parts. The 2 actresses Jessica Lange and Shirley Maclaine are so good they are watchable and never cringe inducing. It's good to see Jessica doing comedy again - she has been in horror for the last few years with AHS so it's nice to see what a good comedienne she is. Shirley is quite nimble for her age - she is over 80 and can still do comedy convincingly.

A widow gets a mistaken windfall payout and sets off on a exotic trip with her best friend. Some stand out moments include crassness of people at the funeral. The part dealing with calling the insurance company rings familiar for many.

The location in Gran Canaria is quite exotic and the resort is attractive.

Worth a watch.

Eva Fenton (Shirley MacLaine) buries her husband as her best friend Maddie Reynolds (Jessica Lange) hysterically cries at the funeral. She's alone except for her daughter Crystal (Demi Moore) who is looking to sell her home. She is shocked when her husband's $50k life insurance arrives with an erroneous $5 million payout. Maddie's husband ran off with his young secretary and she's sick. Eva decides to take Maddie on a vacation to the Canary Islands where Eva falls for Chandler (Billy Connolly). Meanwhile, insurance investigator Alvin Vespucci (Howard Hesseman) and Crystal chase them to retrieve the money.

Andy Tennant may not be a top level director but the flaws here are mostly due to the writing. MacLaine and Lange try their best but they can't overcome the weak writing. It has some bad sitcom writing. When it tries to be broad, it doesn't know how to do it right. The only saving grace is the legendary actors on the screen. I stayed with this for them but I was not rewarded.

Shirley MacLaine, a recently-widowed retired schoolteacher, and Jessica Lange, her best friend of 40 years who was recently dumped by her husband, decide to take advantage of an insurance agency's error and deposit MacLaine's check for $50,000,000 that should have been made out for $50,000; Howard Hesseman, the agency's oldest employee, is selected as the patsy who must get the company's money back or be fired. Geriatric travelogue takes the ladies to Gran Canaria, a picturesque island in Spain, where Shirley is taken in by con-artist Billy Connolly, who prays on wealthy widowed tourists. With so much plot packed into its 86-minute running time, it's no wonder that director Andy Tennant wasn't able to keep it all together. The opening scenes, with MacLaine behaving addle-brained and Lange acting much older than she actually is, are funny and silly but tolerable; second-half in Spain becomes a squashy narrative mess, with lots of 'cute' asides between the gals, who banter in a casual low-key, gamble, meet men, end their sex droughts, and never miss a chance to hug or cry. It's a little old lady's wish-fulfillment fantasy done up like a TV sitcom. ** from ****

I just adored Wild Oats. MacLaine and Jessica are so electric when on screen together, their chemistry works so well and it is so heartwarming to see these two veteran legendary screen icons interact and be so close. Demi Moore is good here too, her supporting performance is focused and it just hits the spots that are necessary. There are so many funny lines of dialogue in this film and I loved hearing them come from the actors on screen, because they were just the right people for them, I'm glad Demi replaced SJP too, I mean I like SJP, but Demi is better in this particular role. The plot may seem trite and formulaic, and in some ways, it is, but I suggest that you actually sit down and watch this movie, it may surprise you. It was much more emotional and touching then I expected it to be, especially towards the ending. Also, it teaches great messages, it teaches messages of long term true friendship, love, coping with loss, and that you are never too old to let loose and have a little fun, age is but a number folks. 8/10 for Wild Oats, go enjoy it, it won't let ya down! Also, like the second to last scene of the movie is just sooo sweet and touching and it almost made me cry!