Review: Wild Oats (2016)

Directed by: Andy Tennant | 91 minutes | action, adventure, comedy, drama | Actors: Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange, Demi Moore, Ptolemy Slocum, Colin Walker, Robert Collier, Geraldine Singer, Susan Parker, Vincent De Paul, Rachel Deacon, Lynne Ashe, Ben Temple, Marnee Carpenter, Morgan Deare, Chad Gall, Miles Mussenden , Eileen Grubba, Jillian Batherson, Howard Hesseman, Stephanie Beacham, Adam LeFevre, Antonio Ibáñez, Frank Feys, Billy Connolly

Almost everyone is familiar with such a situation that you receive a sum of money that actually does not belong to you. Whether the cashier in the supermarket is distracted and gives you back from twenty, while you paid with ten or whether an amount was accidentally credited to your account … Of course there are people who see such a financial advantage and do or their nose bleeds, but fortunately there are also people who prevent the cashier from having a cash shortage in the evening and say it honestly. In “Wild Oats” it is about such an amount that it has to come to light.

Eva’s husband (Shirley MacLaine) has passed away and left her a modest life insurance policy. But when the check arrives, it turns out that there are a few zeros too many on it. Instead of $ 50,000, Eva will get $ 5 million. Initially, she just wants to put the money in her bank account until the company finds out about the error and asks for the amount back, but when her best friend Maddie (Jessica Lange) persuades her to enjoy the money now, she quickly changes her mind. But the insurance company quickly realizes the mistake and sends a detective to the retired lady.

Eva and Maddie are now on the Canary Islands and enjoy themselves there with cocktails on the sun-drenched terrace. Before long, they catch the attention of Chandler (Billy Connolly), who invites the ladies to dinner. Although Eva doesn’t like his advances, Maddie is quite charmed by him. In the restaurant, however, it turns out that Chandler is suffering from a mild form of dementia, and suddenly the spark jumps to Eva. You don’t have to be an observant viewer to see where this ship is stranded.

For every thing that works in “Wild Oats” (the pleasant chemistry between veterans MacLaine and Lange, the funny scene where Eva and Maddie struggle to get through the insurance company’s selection menu), there are at least as many elements that don’t work. Almost all of these negative points can be traced back to the scenario. Many of the characters’ actions and statements are at odds with how such a situation usually works. Who says to a crying woman at a funeral that maybe she should go home? And who says during that same memorial service that he actually has to go back to the office? If you don’t have time to go, you don’t come, but don’t leave halfway. In addition, the course of the story is too easy to predict and some jokes are already stale before they are repeated three times. If you easily get over these problems, then with “Wild Oats” you will be left with a bite-swallow film with fine, energetic actors who deserve a better and above all funnier scenario. Seen like this, so forgotten.