Adorables ennemies

Lovely film about a cantankerous, controlling widow Harriet (Shirley MacLaine) who reads obituaries talking about the good deeds of hateful people and decides she should have a good one herself. She approaches the writer responsible, Anne (Amanda Seyfried) and asks her to write her obituary.

Along the way, both women learn some important lessons.

Wonderful performances, especially from scene-stealer AnnJewel Lee Dixon, who is a scream.

Enjoyable, on the predictable side, but very well done.

Shirley MacLaine did a wonderful job. That is it. The movie in itself was predictable and they of course had to throw in a little kid that was quite annoying. But Shirley MacLaine was great!

Harriet Lauler (Shirley MacLaine) is an opinionated controlling rich old lady. She's retired after running an advertising company. Her family is estranged and nobody likes her. After OD'ing on her meds, she starts being concerned about her obituary. She hires newspaper obit writer Anne Sherman (Amanda Seyfried) to write one for her.

After talking to the at-risk girls, the story end point is more than obvious. There is also an obvious route for this movie. It's two great actresses on a road trip to self-discovery. Shirley MacLaine has made a career out of this character. This movie just needs some good writing. The writing is sometimes good standard stuff but sometimes gets clunky. The two leads usually are able to work out some good chemistry but some scene falls completely flat. For example, Anne is on a date when Harriet confronts her about her writing. It's an important moment but the date keep budding into it. He's a third wheel who keeps causing them to drive off course. Then there is the main third wheel, the little girl. She's the quintessential sassy black girl. She gets overshadowed despite the movie wanting her to be the breakout star. Harriet's reconnection with her daughter ends with a weird fake laugh. The audience is just like the other characters, looking at Harriet side-eyed. At the end of the day, I just want this to be better. The writing needs to be better.

Cleverly written, this little film is a gem and shows that a good movie doesn't have to be a big blockbuster. AnnJewel Lee Dixon is wonderful and her personality shines through every scene she is in. Shirley MacLaine, while getting older, shows she still has "it." While my wife cried at the end, I didn't think of it as a typical "chick flick."

This is a predictable movie - will not give anything away as you will see it for yourself. Shirley Maclaine is fun to watch and believable -she is a lady used to having her way and all of a sudden she is having questions about how she will be remembered. The main characters beside her, are the obit writer and the young person she is going to help and turn their life around. This is a film that is easy to watch, predictable and believable. Just not a great one but a good way to spend the afternoon.