The M Word (FILM REVIEW)
The M Word
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Headline:
Siblings Adjust to Menopause in Entertaining Tale of Female Empowerment
Menopause apparently affects women
differently, even if they happen to share the same genes, as is the case with
Carson (Frances Fisher), Rita (Mary Crosby) and Louise (Eliza
Roberts). Each of these sisters is struggling to maintain her dignity while
dealing with the fallout from the so-called “Change of Life.”
Frustrated Carson describes feeling
for months on end “like I don’t have any control.” By contrast, Rita’s body
chemistry is so confused by the assortment of medicines and creams she uses that
she wants to murder her husband, one minute, and to make love to him, the next.
Meanwhile, relatively-macabre Lulu relies on humor to cope with her constant obsession
with death.
At an
informal gathering with her siblings, Carson
announces that she just impulsively left her husband (Gregory Harrison) and
moved in with her daughter (Tanna Frederick). But that doesn’t necessarily mean
she’ll be able to avoid Mack entirely, since he’s a sportscaster at the same local
television station where Moxie plays a dog on a wacky kiddie series.
The plot
thickens when network executive Charlie Moon (Michael Imperioli) arrives in town
from New York
with plans to implement programming changes to reverse the station’s plummeting
ratings. However, he is distracted at first sight by foxy Moxie who is not
above using her powers of seduction to save her own neck, if not her struggling
show. Further complicating matters is the fact that she not only recently missed
her period, but is stuck in an unsatisfying relationship with her producer
(Corey Feldman).
That
is the incestuously-intriguing point of departure of The M Word, a
sophisticated ensemble dramedy written and directed by the legendary Henry
Jaglom (Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?). The picture’s soap opera-style premise basically
serves as a launching pad for frank discussions about the biologically-determined
plight of women of a certain age.
As humorous
as it is sobering, Jaglom proves as masterful as ever at creating fascinating
characters designed to make you both laugh and reflect. His raw tale of female
empowerment revolves around uncompromisingly-realistic discussions of menopause
ranging from night sweats to mood swings to depression to atrophied vaginas to
cramps to forgetfulness to a loss of skin elasticity.
After venting
their angst interminably, our heroines eventually get around to resolving their
crises in entertaining fashion before the curtain comes down on a decidedly
upbeat note (“There is nothing like being a girl!”), thus allowing the audience
to exit the theater with a big smile on its collective face.
Such a
satisfying cinematic treat that the M Word might very well be “Marvelous!”
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated R
for profanity and sexual references
Running time: 111 minutes
Distributor: Rainbow
Releasing
To see a trailer for The
M Word, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yPe1Jknlx4&feature=youtu.be
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