Academy
Award winning actress Diane Keaton has been keeping busy at her early seventies,
having recently done voicework for Finding
Dory and starring in the romcom Book
Club released last year. While that
film prominently featured Keaton as the lead, it marked the debut of
writer-director Bill Holderman’s launch to the silver screen. Incidentally, Keaton’s new film Poms would also mark the arrival of
documentary filmmaker Zara Hayes’ first foray into writing-directing a feature,
making it the second time Keaton has helped launch the careers of up and coming
film directors. In her new film
co-starring Jackie Weaver, Pam Grier, Rhea Perlman and Carol Sutton, the 73
year old Keaton enters into a retirement home where after befriending the
residents group together to (get ready for it) form a cheerleading squad!
After
an entire series worth of the Bring It On
movies, the story proceeds through the usual clichés germane to the
cheerleading movie subgenre from the formulation of the group, the comical
uphill battles of training, public humiliation from a botched first try,
disbanding, reunion and finally triumph.
We’ve seen it all before so many different times over the predictable plot
machinations, yet the age group of the characters and the performances (largely
by the film’s real heroine Jackie Weaver) keep things engaging while working in
the bittersweet thread of facing one’s fears of dying. At times the film’s saccharine sweetness can
indeed come off as cloying yet like the characters are likable and Weaver more
or less owns the film. Kind of curious
the film is being billed as Keaton’s show yet is upstaged by her co-star in
every scene they share, but I digress.
Visually
Pineapple Express director of
photography Tim Orr’s cinematography suits the light yet colorful romcom
aesthetic. Upon watching, one gets the
feeling this would do just fine on the Hallmark Channel on Mother’s Day weekend
(which the film’s theatrical distributors STX Entertainment are no doubt
counting on). With a cast of familiar faces
as notable as this, it’s the kind of film which seems suited for television but
like so many other STX offerings winds up going to theaters anyway. That said, Overall Poms is a cute and lighthearted feel-good goof you can take your mom
to and was far better than some of the other ensemble family-friendly comedies
that have come out in recent years. Just
don’t expect it to reinvent the wheel.
Score:
- Andrew Kotwicki