Diane Keaton stars in Poms in a role that could have been seen as an endless uphill climb for any actress who wasn’t the Oscar winner. The Movie Mensch is a no-spoilers publication, so we cannot get too into what we mean. Just trust us … what she had to do with her turn as a mature woman who moves into a retirement community with the intension of just marking her days is simply stunning. Her character arc is incredibly rich in the film that is out now on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download formats.
Poms follows Keaton’s Martha as she settles into this community hoping to keep to herself and ride out that wave that is life’s journey. Then, she meets her neighbor Sheryl (Jacki Weaver)—even though she would have rather not became conversational with the firecracker next door. Sheryl is not that type of person, after all, she’ll talk your ear off whether you want the company or not. Good thing too, because instead of wallowing in her own pool of pity, Martha gets inspired. When Sheryl learns that her new friend was a cheerleader back in the day but dropped the activity when she met the man who would become her husband, the means well but is a tad pushy neighbor leaves her with something to think about. If now isn’t the time to pursue interests that were left behind in life (for whatever reason), then there would never be a good time.
What’s a woman to do? How about start a cheerleading club at the retirement community and hold auditions to see who else might have shared this dream. Or, even at the least—there must be souls who possessed an interest in it as a younger person that insecurities or lack of confidence precluded them from doing something about it. To the surprise of Martha and Sheryl, a decent number of ladies show up for the audition and before you can say, “Go team!” the two new neighbors got themselves a cheerleading squad.
At this point, their hopes for the club is nothing more than just to be active, be social and keep on keeping on. This is going to be an organization where the ladies can get together and work on some cheerleading moves and even simply chit chat with like-minded souls. Problem is, Vicki (Celia Weston) has strict rules at the community about clubs and who can do what and when and where. Martha has no interest in stopping and this is where Poms gets truly joyous. It is an utter delight to watch Martha, Sheryl and the other ladies (including Rhea Perlman’s Alice and Pam Grier’s Olive) plot their next move as they try to outsmart and outmaneuver Vicki—and do some cheerleading along the way.
They realize they need help, so the cheerleading collective turns to a young cheerleader from a local high school that comes to them via Sheryl’s grandson. He might have a crush on her, and grandma thinks that this is an ideal way to get the young woman’s attention and serve as someone who can elevate their cheer squad’s potential.
Director Zara Hayes (who also gets a “story by” credit with screenwriter Shane Atkinson) has the most delicate and delightful of touches with Poms in that it is a comedy, sure, but it is one whose laughs are intertwined with some seriously heartfelt (and reflective) thoughts on this thing called life. Hayes’ work could easily just have been satisfied appealing to an audience that matches the age group of those stars on the screen. But that is not the case at all. Inspiration, if handled correctly and doled out without hitting your audience over the head with the material, works its magic on viewers—regardless of their age, social strata, geographical locale or any other element that defines us. The helmer handles some serious elements within Poms and never forgets that this is a heartwarming comedy at its core. As a documentary filmmaker (which was the genre of her work up until Poms), she possesses a storytelling mojo that gets to the heart of the subject matter and wastes no time on frivolous exposition or supporting characters that do not add anything to the forward momentum of the plot. It is a terrific narrative feature debut for Hayes, and we cannot wait to see what she does next.
The cast is sublime. Led by the always awesome Keaton, the actress turns in another performance that embodies her unique talents in a manner that allows the viewer to lose themselves in the story. So many movie stars often are playing a version of themselves. There’s nothing wrong with that. We adore Dwayne Johnson movies … (cough, cough). But Keaton does it in such a way that there are layers to her performance that elicits a true emotional connection with the audience so that when those speed bumps come along, we could not be pulling for her more to not only get over those bumps in the road, but to soar to new heights in the process.
As for the supporting ensemble, it is dazzling to witness these fine actresses working alongside one another. It is true what they say. If the performers are having a blast, so too will the audience. In Poms, everyone involved appears to be having the time of their lives and wouldn’t you know it, by the conclusion of the film, we could not have been more wrapped up in it if we tried. It is fantastic to see Grier doing her thing, and Perlman as well. These are some seriously fine actresses who sadly are not given the chance to work all that often. Hopefully Poms will show those who green light movies in Hollywood that there is a seat at the table for everyone in the moviemaking realm and that audiences are varied and as such, require a diverse and wide-ranging slate of films, parts and folks on the big screen to inspire.
Sadly, there are no bonus features available for Poms. I would have treasured at least a commentary track by Hayes. In lieu of that, don’t miss my exclusive interview with Zara Hayes, who gives us some incredible insight into the making of the movie, working with all those talented thespians and even a terrific tale that lays out the inspiration for Poms and where this wildly inventive idea came from in the first place.
Grade: B