Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

The Last Word Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 30, 2017

In the face of death, there remains life and drive to make the most of it in the time that remains. After death, one's body may not live on, but the spirit certainly does in the memories of those who knew the person: cherished, good memories, hopefully, rather than resentment or regret. But perhaps more important than memories are the qualities passed along to others, life lessons, insight that only come with age, and influences that leave a better life for those that remain. That's a legacy. And that's the story of The Last Word, the tale of a curmudgeonly old lady who tasks a younger obituary writer with penning her life's story. Of course, what follows isn't just a paragraph but a transformation. The movie means well, but it's persistently dark in texture and often in tone. It's flat, not purposeless, but not doing anything creative or memorable with its purpose. It is in many ways reflective of its main character, but the character prior to the transformation, full of potential but never realizing it along the way.

What will the future say of her?

Harriett Lauler (Shirley MacLaine) is an independent person, to a fault. She refuses to allow anyone to help her. She criticizes and critiques, whether it's her lawn care or her hair. She's a loner. She's alienated the world. One day, she reads a beautiful obituary for a person widely known to be disliked. She takes it upon herself to get in contact with the newspaper, where her influence has bought her the opportunity to snatch up the obits writer, an aspiring author named Anne Sherman (Amanda Seyfried), to pen her obituary before she dies. It's a job Anne wants no part of, but she's essentially forced into it by management. She begins working on the piece and...nothing. Nobody has a kind word to say about Harriett. But Harriett is determined to leave a positive impression. She begins to take her life into her own hands. She "adopts" a child in need (Annjewel Lee Majestic Dixon), reconnects with her daughter (Anne Heche), gets hired onto a dream job as a disc jockey at a local radio station, and works to right any wrongs that are toxic to her legacy.

The movie is effective in spots. It's very sober to begin. Audiences get a very good sense of distance and regret from the character and Shirley MacLaine's performance. The sense of detachment, the feeling that she's lost in the world and within herself, is tangible. The movie's somewhat dour look and feel, warm rather than cold but still somehow moody and down, reinforces the character. But the movie never seems to find any spirit. Even as the relationship between Harriett and Anne grows, as Brenda becomes a key part of Harriett's life, as she begins to find herself, becomes more engaged with the world, pursues her dreams, and makes a positive impact on those around her, the movie feels more artificially cheery than genuinely on the upward part of the curve. The film's tone and visual style never changes. It maintains a dreariness throughout that even the trite, light, spirited music that's so pervasive in these smaller character-driven Dramedy films anymore cannot change the film's tone. Its would-be optimism isn't lost, it just never fully blossoms.

At its core, the story of personal redemption, self-discovery, making amends, and finding the true spirit within isn't anything new. The movie does nothing new with any of it, either. Its performances are tired and lack any sort of deep, contemplative insight or, on the flip side, a real sense of persona or play as the characters are introduced and develop through the course of the film. Shirley MacLaine's effort seems rote, lacking much emotion or depth or a sense of purpose for what her character is doing. Much the same can be said of Amanda Seyfried's character, who feels more like a prop than a person serving a purpose. It's not just the actresses at fault but also the script that sucks the life out of the movie, ironic because the movie is supposed to be about the exact opposite. It just doesn't work very well. It can't escape its emptiness, good intentions be damned, and audiences will be left wondering how a movie called The Last Word is anything but in its genre.

The Last Word Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Last Word's 1080p presentation is certainly no looker. The digitally photographed movie is flat, flat, and flat. Numerous smeary edges are commonplace. Detail rarely excites. Basic facial textures are captured nicely enough, but there's no sort of inherent, dazzling type of texturing going on. Environments, clothes, and other elements are rather pedestrian by even crude, for 2017, format standards and expectations. Certainly much of that comes back to the source and style and the movie's fairly drab filtering and color palette. The image is very warm, almost bronzed, at times. Colors are a bit desaturated in places, and the warmer color temperature doesn't change with the movie's dynamics. Black levels are decent though they don't usually hit that perfect sweet spot. Flesh tones are at the mercy of the color scheme. Noise is apparent in some shots, particularly lower light, though there are no other serious source or compression artifacts of note.

The Last Word Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Last Word features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, but it's a fairly straightforward, unassuming, basic listen that's nearly as flat as the picture. Music engages the stage simply with nice extension to the sides but practically no low end engagement or surround usage. Clarity is fine, nothing to be excited about, just sort of essential, basic playback. Light atmospherics filter into the stage on occasion. A chirping bird from beyond a kitchen window or light office din at the newspaper or radio station are about it, again, like the music, seeming to emanate more from the front rather than making use of the back. Dialogue is clear, a bit low in volume at times even at reference but never struggling with prioritization. It's naturally positioned in the front-center. This is a very simple track of the straightforward, no frills variety.

The Last Word Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Beyond some assorted previews for other Universal titles, this Blu-ray release of The Last Word contains no supplemental content. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

The Last Word Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Last Word begins with a morbid character that evolved into one full of life, even as the end of life approaches. But the movie maintains that morbidity throughout. It's dull, slow, largely directionless beyond the general arc. It lacks nuance, honest humor, and heartfelt spirit. Performances are dry and the movie sputters on through towards its predictable conclusion. Universal's Blu-ray is featureless, and video and audio are both rather bland. Skip it.