Staying Cool

Maybe it is just an indication of how much our recent viewing of The Last Word had lowered our expectations, but this film was a bit more fun, with at least a few clever bits in the writing.

Henry McCarthy (Mark Polish) is an author of low-brow nonfiction who attempts to Stay Cool as he returns to his high school as a commencement speaker. He attends classes and events for several days in an effort to "reconnect" after almost two decades away from school. Decidedly low-key antics ensue.

Our Noni is Scarlett Smith, Henry's old flame, though the romance never burns bright enough to warrant the use of her fiery first name. Although Henry pursues her early in the film, he is equally interested in Shasta, a flirtatious student played by Hilary Duff. She pursues Henry as he pursues Scarlet, but nobody involved seems to realize that a love triangle has been formed. Henry simply drifts back and forth between the two in alternating scenes. It was actually rather refreshing to see nothing come of this triangle. There was no stupid scene in which one of the women involved "discovers" Henry with the other woman, and then makes the type of ugly face that movie directors think women make when they see such, which is then followed by the woman not talking to the guy for a long time, then coming back around to him in the end. None of that happened. It was also pleasing to see Duff's character played with more agency than one would normally expect in a film about high school hi jinx.

Some tension does develop between Henry and Scarlett's Neanderthal old boyfriend Brad. Her ex is as overplayed as is Henry's gay friend, known simply as "Big Girl." Chevy Chase as Principal Marshall is the only character to develop beyond a single dimension, or at least to play his single dimension with some imagination.

The film does have a couple of small brushes with relevance. Watching this during commencement season here in the Boston area, we were interested in the school administration's attempts to pre-censor Henry's speech. Student-led protests have led to a few cancellations in our area, for politics rather than prurience. It is during a "safety drill" in the library that Henry learns -- to his only slight dismay -- that preparations for active shooters have become routine in schools. Both issues are touched upon only lightly, though, as this film does not stray far at all from a predictable path.

"The library is still a sanctuary for the socially challenged."

Even the disparagement of the library is clichéd, though we can thank the writer for not putting any librarians in glasses and tight hair so that we could see them magically unfurled later in the film.

Final verdict: The high side of three croquet balls; a good-enough diversion for non-fans and better than some of the other mediocre works that characterize Noni's work in the decade of the Aughts.

The Last Word - Just like the first time

Evan (Wes Bentley) is a writer who earns his money by writing suicide notes. He meets with his clients several times, finds out what they are feeling, and ultimately writes their poetic good-byes. He is very methodical and unemotional about his work until he meets Charlotte (played by Our Winona); and Abel (Ray Romano). Charlotte is the sister of a recently deceased client, and Abel is a current client. Evan unexpectedly falls in love with Charlotte, and forms a friendship with Abel. The love affair is doomed from the start as it begins with a lie - Evan does not want to reveal how he knew the deceased, and so claims to have gone to school with him.

The Last Word is not Ryder's best work, nor is it her worst. Her role could have been played just as well by any number of other actresses. We remembered having seen this film before, but neither of us could recall any details about it. Even while watching it very little seemed familiar. It wasn't a bad story, and it didn't have a completely Hollywood ending. It just does not have too much else to recommend it, though, and is not as clever as the premise suggests it could have been.

Final Verdict : Three Croquet Balls