Shirley MacLaine plays another cantankerous old lady in the first trailer for Mark Pellington’s dramedy “The Last Word,” which Bleecker Street acquired last month.
The film, co-starring Amanda Seyfried as a young newspaper reporter assigned to the obituary desk, is due in theaters March 3, 2017, after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival.
MacLaine stars as Harriet Lauler, a once successful businesswoman in tight control of every aspect of her life. As she reflects upon her accomplishments, she’s suddenly inspired to engage a young local writer, Anne Sherman (Seyfried), to pen her life story. “She puts the bitch in obituary,” Anne says of Harriet in the trailer.
When the initial result doesn’t meet Harriet’s high expectations, she sets out to reshape the way she is remembered, with Anne dragged along as an unwilling accomplice. As the journey unfolds, the two women develop a unique bond which alters not only Harriet’s legacy, but also Anne’s future.
The script is by Stuart Fink. In addition to directing, Pellington producedd along with Anne-Marie MacKay of Wondros and Kirk D’Amico of Myriad Pictures, while Aaron Magnani served as executive producer.
MacLaine, an Oscar winner in 1983 for “Terms of Endearment,” will receive the Career Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association next month. In addition to “The Last Word, her upcoming projects include “The Little Mermaid” and “Jim Button.”
15 Golden Globes Snubs and Surprises, From Martin Scorsese to Taraji P. Henson (Photos)
Here's who the HFPA embraced -- and dissed -- on Globes nomination morning
Martin Scorsese - Snub The esteemed filmmaker was shut out of the Best Director category, which saw nods for the likes of Tom Ford ("Nocturnal Animals") and Mel Gibson ("Hacksaw Ridge").
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"Silence" - Snub Likewise, Scorsese's nearly three-hour epic about Jesuit priests in feudal Japan did not land Best Picture or acting noms for stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson.
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Jonah Hill - Surprise The little-seen Todd Philips comedy “War Dogs” landed Jonah Hill and Best Supporting Actor nomination (although our Awards guru Steve Pond did predict this).
Taraji P. Henson - Snub The “Empire” queen and grounding force of Fox Searchlight’s “Hidden Figures” was given recognition for neither her TV day job (as she was last year, with a win) or her buzzy film turn this year.
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“Empire” - Snub Lee Daniels’ hip-hop saga was shut out of the Best Drama Series category after placing last year.
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Colin Farrell - Surprise “The Lobster” was a Cannes darling from 2015 that has eeked along on the charm of its alternate reality, where single people approaching the age of 40 must marry or be turned into animals. Farrell swooped in, taking several expected leading men out of the running.
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Warren Beatty Despite its low box office performance and lukewarm reception, "Rules Don't Apply" was expected to earn Beatty an acting nom. (Lily Collins did get a nomination for Best Actress - Musical or Comedy.)
Tom Hanks - Snub The actor’s presumed nomination for “Sully” could’ve been by bounced by the inclusion of Viggo Mortensen and Joel Edgerton in the Drama Actor category.
Matthew McConaughey - Snub The Weinstein Company drama “Gold” did not screen for voting groups and critics until late in the season, but McConaughey was expected to rate.
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Simon Helberg - Surprise As a very patient pianist opposite Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant in "Florence Foster Jenkins," Helberg emerged as an early contender -- and he made good with a surprise nomination for Best Supporting Actor Musical or Comedy.
Octavia Spencer - Surprise Though her co-stars Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae have flashier roles in "Hidden Figures," this Academy Award winner came through with a Best Supporting Actress nom.
Robin Wright - Snub The awards gods have forsaken the house that Underwood built, and snubbed the heart (or lack thereof) of "House of Cards" -- Robin Wright, in some of the finest work of her career -- as well as the entire series.
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Kevin Spacey - Snub Same goes for her husband and worse half Frank Underwood.
"House of Cards" - Snub And let's just go ahead and pour one out for the series as a whole, Netflix's first original breakthrough.
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Hailee Steinfeld - Surprise
The R-rated teen comedy has generated very little buzz, though there was talk about Woody Harrelson's performance as a high school principal. So Hailee Steinfeld's recognition as Best Actress - Musical or Comedy seemed to come out of nowhere.
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”House of Cards,“ ”Empire“ fall as Hollywood Foreign Press makes jaw-dropping omissions
Here's who the HFPA embraced -- and dissed -- on Globes nomination morning