Cast: Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Rhea Perlman, Pam Grier

Director: Zara Hayes

Review:

I think we all know where Diane Keaton is at this point in her career.  Long gone are the Oscar-winning performances of Annie Hall.  Keaton’s at the point where she more than likely wants to find a way to do what she loves while also having fun with her friends and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this.  She’s put in more than her fair share of work into her storied career and can spend however many years she has left in the industry doing whatever she wants.  Sure last year’s Book Club was a dud, but it looks like Poms has found a formula that works for both Keaton and audiences.  A delightful 90-minute comedy, Keaton and company show us that age is not a restriction for someone to create just a truly fun and good-hearted movie.

The film follows Martha (Keaton), a recent retiree who has moved to a retirement community in Georgia to live out her remaining time.  When she is forced to either join a club or start one per the rules of the community, Martha decides to fulfill her teenage dreams of being a cheerleader and rounds up a group of her friends to cheer together. While their age may create obstacles for them, the show themselves and the audience that it’s never too late to pursue your passions and go after your dreams.  To the surprise of no one, this is a pretty easy-going fluff piece that is aimed at older audiences.  As someone who is not apart of that demographic, I didn’t anticipate actually liking this movie.  It may be a fluff piece, but it’s a good fluff piece.  I credit the success of this film to Keaton being the lead actress.  Many movies within the genre suffer from a lack of interesting characters or decent performances, but the fact that Keaton is so talented and can immerse herself in a role so effortlessly puts Poms above most of the other movies it will be compared to.  Outside of Keaton, the film is fairly benevolent and likable, which is all you can really ask for from a movie like this.  One of the things I recently criticized The Hustle for was its constant littering of sexual jokes, and that same issue comes up in Poms.  The main difference is that while these jokes are similarly limited to just one character, in this Sheryl (Weaver), we genuinely care about these character’s well-being so it comes across as funnier.  All of these characters have qualities and personalities that are relatable and identifiable, and sure they can be a little one-dimensional at times, but we all know someone in our lives who has the traits of at least one of these characters.  Sometimes we need a movie that allows us to turn our brains off and enjoy something quick and simple that makes us feel good, and Poms is one of the films that does the trick.  I think Keaton is done with movies that revolutionize film forever like her time in The Godfather movies, but for what it’s worth, she can still make quality that entertain a different audience to this day.

Overall, Poms really just wants the audience to have a good time, and I might be in the minority here, but I think it does just that.  Older audiences will probably enjoy this movie much more than I did, but as someone in the 18-34 demographic, this film can give hope to younger generations that your life only ends when you allow it to end. Keaton and company clearly had a ton of fun making this movie and when that type of energy shows up on screen, everyone watching has just as fun as the cast and crew did.

Overall Score: 6/10