Wild Oats

Eva Fenton (Shirley MacLaine) buries her husband as her best friend Maddie Reynolds (Jessica Lange) hysterically cries at the funeral. She's alone except for her daughter Crystal (Demi Moore) who is looking to sell her home. She is shocked when her husband's $50k life insurance arrives with an erroneous $5 million payout. Maddie's husband ran off with his young secretary and she's sick. Eva decides to take Maddie on a vacation to the Canary Islands where Eva falls for Chandler (Billy Connolly). Meanwhile, insurance investigator Alvin Vespucci (Howard Hesseman) and Crystal chase them to retrieve the money. Andy Tennant may not be a top level director but the flaws here are mostly due to the writing. MacLaine and Lange try their best but they can't overcome the weak writing. It has some bad sitcom writing. When it tries to be broad, it doesn't know how to do it right. The only saving grace is the legendary actors on the screen. I stayed with this for them but I was not rewarded.

I rented this one from the library and was pleasantly surprised !!! Heartwarming and funny, a good story with some nice twists... It left me in good spirits and I am going to buy it because I really want to watch this again.

I was really enjoying the film until they got to the Canary Islands. Then it was a chain of cliches portraying the Spanish people as closed minded, and corrupt. No we do not have corrupt owners of big haciendas as a standard in Spain, neither would a Spanish man be intimidated by an American woman that can show him how technology works. Men in Spain don't think women belong in the kitchen any more than the Americans do. I find it insulting and hence I cannot give it more than a 1 star. If you feel like this kind of movie watch Under the Tuscan Sun where at least American treat clichés in a less offensive way.

Eva (Shirley MacLaine) and Maddie (Jessica Lange) are ladies of a certain age. However, even with them being at that age doesn't mean they don't like having some fun. Be it of the going out or of the more explicit nature. So when Eva's husband dies and the life insurance company accidentally sends her a five-million-dollar check, while hesitant at first, with time she decides to use the money while she has access to it. Thus leading to the company sending a gentleman named Alvin (Howard Hesseman) to track them down. But, he isn't the only one who has taken an interest in these two ladies and that is when the real problems begin. Highlights Shirley MacLaine and Jessica Lange make for an excellent duo who not only play off each other well but bring this idea they have been friends for decades like their characters. It was great to see two very vibrant leads who were women of a certain age talking just as much about how much they enjoyed life and love sex as they worry about their mortality. Chandler (Billy Connolly) was an odd but likable Also, his place in the film brought an air of mystery since, to a point, you could never pin down why he took such a keen interest in Maddie and Eva. Low Points Alvin's whole hunt for Eva makes no sense, as well as the ending we see when he retires. It is hard to pin down Crystal's (Demi Moore) purpose in this movie. She isn't funny, she doesn't add anything to Eva's character besides letting us know she had a kid, so you're kind of left wondering what was the original intent with this character? On The Fence The jokes dealing with how old everyone is, as well as how many people Eva has taught as a 10th-grade social studies teacher have inconsistent levels of funniness. The movie seems like it wants to be a dramedy focusing on the issues which these women are having getting older, yet it seems to brush off using the dramatic talents of its leads to keep things from ever getting too serious. Overall: On The Fence (Home Viewing) MacLaine and Lange make this into a light comedy with some sad elements, but it does feel like they skirt the bigger issues to make this into some fun comedy adventure film. Which there is nothing wrong with, for a lot of the jokes between Eva and Maddie are comical and Lange really shines in her role. However, things become shaky as Eva uses the money, shady characters come into her life, and then we watch as Alvin goes across the Atlantic to hunt her down. At that point, while you may find the film funny, you have to question what the hell is going on with the story? Which I say because, Crystal's purpose in the film is unknown, outside of being an annoyance, Alvin's story from beginning to end requires a suspense of disbelief that breaks the movie's hold on you, and pretty much everything on the Canary Islands hardly makes a bit of sense. And while Lange and MacLaine salvage what they can, it seems even with their combined experience, they couldn't make this Lifetime movie seem like anything but.

Where to start? Awful from beginning to end. How Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange, Demi Moore and a very wooden Billy Connelly allowed themselves to act in this travesty of a farce comedy is beyond me. I only watched it because it was set in the Canary Islands and that is the ONLY good thing about it. There is nothing else of any worth. Mindblowingly awful.

While it wasn't a bad movie, it really was a bit of a waste for such a great ensemble, Definitely left me wanting more.

It is so refreshing to see showcased, these gorgeous talented women. As an almost 50 year old woman I am thrilled to see entertainment such as "Wild Oates" and "Grace and Frankie" (Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin)Jessica Lange seems everywhere (American Horror Story-Feud etc) I believe I may be the first generation of women who gets the benefit of scripts (finally) about what it looks like to grow older. (some instances quite a bit dramatized of course, but a lot, hits the nail on the head). I assume this movie would not appeal to a large category of people, but it certainly appealed to me. These women are STILL excellent at their craft. It was a fun, silly refreshing movie acted and directed well.

I don't mean age. They are better than ever. That is why they deserve much better than this. The jokes aren't merely bad they are painful. The old shtick about older women being empowered because of a one night stand is tired and an insult to the intelligence.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of this movie. At first, I thought it was supposed to be a comedy. A woman wins millions from an insurance mistake and takes her best friend on a tropical vacation. Sounds funny, right? The start of the movie is a funeral; the attendants give awkward condolences to the widow and the two leads' lives are shown in a depressing downward spiral. Sounds sad, right? Trust me and stick with Wild Oats. It's funny, but has some sad situations. After all, the movie's opener shows a funeral and an unfaithful husband. Shirley MacLaine is always delightful, and it's truly unbelievable that she's in her 80s with so much energy to pour into this role. Jessica Lange still looks beautiful, and her girlish flirtations are as charming as ever. Demi Moore is a little silly in her throwaway part as Shirley MacLaine's daughter, but it's not that great a detriment to the overall movie. Think of it as a Thelma and Louise for seventy-year-olds, and get ready for a very fun adventure!

Shirley MacLaine and Jessica Lange play best friends but there is a 15 year age gap between the actresses and it shows. In Wild Oats MacLaine has been recently widowed and is wrongly sent a life insurance cheque for $5 million instead of $50 thousand. MacLaine hops it to Grand Canaria with Lange and go on a gambling and spending spree and MacLaine attracts the attention of dapper but forgetful businessman Billy Connolly. The insurance company strong arm veteran investigator Howard Hesseman to get the money back. He gets hold of MacLaine's daughter (Demi Moore) and sets off for Gran Canaria to Lange and MacLaine. Once they arrived they find that MacLaine has lost her gambling winnings to con men and plan to retrieve the money. The film is a bit of a mess, as a comedy it is a misfire. You could guess they will attract the attention of a con man as it lacks originality and even the finale floundered.