The Last Word

Harriet Lauler (Shirley MacLaine) has never left anything to chance in her life. The wealthy retiree wants to do the same with her legacy. She has commissioned young journalist Anne Sherman (Amanda Seyfried) to write her obituary while she is still alive, which will portray her in the best possible light as a family person, role model, and benefactor after her death. Of course, Harriet, a control freak through and through, has compiled a list of people to interview, from her ex-husband (Philip Baker Hall) to her hairdresser, all sorted alphabetically. Unfortunately, no one has anything positive to say about the lonely curmudgeon - not even her daughter Elizabeth (Anne Heche). No wonder the client is anything but satisfied with Anne's first draft. So Harriet decides to make some changes immediately - accompanied, of course, by her chronicler. With her usual dose of cynicism, the self-made successful woman chooses a charitable cause to impress posterity: she wants to turn around the life of a black girl from a difficult background. However, in order to win over nine-year-old Brenda (AnnJewel Lee Dixon) for her plan, the benefactor has to work hard, because the girl has a mind of her own. The fact that Harriet is finally really challenged again releases unexpected energy - and not only gives her a new zest for life.