Shirley MacLaine
Harriet Lauler
The Last Word
“An unexpected friendship that began at the end.”
2017
1h 48m
Director: Mark Pellington
Overview
A retired businesswoman – who tries to control everything around her – decides to write her own obituary. A young journalist takes up the task of finding out the truth, and the result is a life-altering friendship.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Obituary as a Love Letter to the Living
I’ve always thought obituaries get it backward. They’re supposed to be about the dead, but they’re really for the living—the ones left behind, sifting through the fragments of a life, trying to make sense of what it all added up to. The Last Word, Mark Pellington’s quiet, stubborn little film, understands this. It’s a movie about control, about the stories we tell ourselves and the ones we’re forced to confront when someone else starts poking at the edges.
And like all good stories about control, it’s really about what happens when you lose it.
Harriett Lauler (Shirley MacLaine) is the kind of woman who doesn’t just leave a mark—she carves it into the wall with a chisel. A retired advertising executive, she’s spent a lifetime bending the world to her will, and now, in her 80s, she’s decided to get a head start on her own legacy. She hires a young obituary writer, Anne Sherman (Amanda Seyfried), to pen her life story before she dies.
The catch? Harriett wants to approve every word. Anne, a woman who’s spent her career writing about other people’s deaths, is suddenly forced to reckon with her own life—or lack thereof.
What begins as a professional transaction slowly curdles into something resembling friendship, the kind that only happens when two people are too stubborn to walk away.
Pellington, who’s spent his career oscillating between music videos (Pearl Jam’s Jeremy, anyone?) and moody thrillers (Arlington Road), has a knack for finding the humanity in people who’d rather not be found. Here, he frames Harriett not as a monster, but as a woman who’s spent so long perfecting the art of being unlikable that she’s forgotten how to be anything else. MacLaine, who’s been doing this since before Seyfried was born, plays her with a terrifying precision.
Audience Opinions
Limited evidence
Audience 6.2/10
"A heartfelt but uneven dramedy with standout performances that struggle to elevate a familiar script."
Shirley MacLaine and Amanda Seyfried’s chemistry anchors the film, with viewers praising their dynamic as a highlight. However, the story’s predictable structure and underdeveloped supporting characters leave many feeling the movie doesn’t fully capitalize on its potential. latestnetflix.com's read is that Some moments resonate emotionally, but the overall execution feels uneven.
What viewers praise
- Strong lead performances MacLaine and Seyfried deliver compelling performances, with their on-screen chemistry frequently cited as the film’s strongest asset.
- Emotionally resonant moments Certain scenes, particularly those exploring themes of legacy and regret, strike a chord with audiences.
- Charming tone The film’s blend of comedy and drama is described as lighthearted and enjoyable in parts.
Common complaints
- Predictable plot The story follows well-worn dramedy tropes, leaving little room for surprise or depth.
- Underdeveloped side characters Supporting roles, including Anne Heche’s, are seen as thinly written and forgettable.
- Uneven pacing Some viewers found the film’s rhythm inconsistent, with moments of drag between stronger scenes.
Recommended for
Fans of Shirley MacLaine Dramedy enthusiasts Character-driven story lovers Lighthearted comedy-drama seekers
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reports"I'm not dead. You just think I am."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtnnejXW14w
Shirley MacLaine offered that line as the joke she wants in her own obituary. She was 82, sitting through the Los Angeles press day for The Last Word, a movie about a woman who commissions the notice while she can still edit it 
. Harriet Lauler, the retired ad executive she plays, has no friends, an ex she calls a jackass, and a daughter who will not take her calls. latestnetflix.com's read is that she walks into the Bristol Gazette, a paper she kept alive with advertising money, and tells Amanda Seyfried's Anne Sherman to write the piece now , .
Stuart Ross Fink wrote the script. MacLaine told The New York Times he wrote the part for her. The paper pointed at the overlap with her own strained history with her daughter, Sachi Parker . Anne Heche plays the daughter on screen. Philip Baker Hall is the ex. Thomas Sadoski is the radio manager who lets Harriet onto the morning show once she decides a proper death notice needs a wild card , 
. Both MacLaine and Seyfried took executive producer credits . Harriet's wild card in the plot is a morning radio slot and a mentoring gig with a little girl named Brenda, played by AnnJewel Lee Dixon. Dargis called that stretch forced. MacLaine still makes it play , .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaRroK_qVeg
Five weeks, then four theaters. Myriad Pictures financed the movie in September 2015 with the two stars already attached. Bleecker Street bought U.S. rights that November, months before cameras rolled. Principal photography ran from February 3 to March 11, 2016, with Mark Pellington directing , 
, . The December trailer led with Seyfried's verdict on Harriet. "She puts the bitch in obituary" , .
Sundance got it on January 24, 2017. The U.S. opening was March 3, four theaters in New York and Los Angeles, $35,000 the first weekend, $2.9 million all in , . Rotten Tomatoes landed at 40 percent. The consensus said MacLaine remains a magnetic screen presence who deserved a better vehicle. Dargis wrote that she holds the screen effortlessly, then added that it was too bad she has to share it , . Months later MacLaine told The Guardian that the reviews of this film were her biggest disappointment . She did the press from Malibu and a ranch near Santa Fe, still talking reincarnation, still insisting nobody ever dies .
Netflix still has it. People stumble on MacLaine on a Sunday and wonder why they never heard of the movie. They heard of her. That was always the assignment. Harriet still wants the last word. MacLaine still says she is not dead.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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