Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chace Crawford, Catherine Keener, Jane Fonda, Elizabeth Olsen and Nat Wolff. Directed by Bruce Beresford. 96 minutes. 14A
The main reason I wanted to see this film was because of Jane Fonda. And now that I've seen it, the main reason I'd recommend this film is Jane Fonda.
When a conservative lawyer Diane (Catherine Keener) realizes she's about to get divorced, she takes her teenage children (Elizabeth Olsen and Nat Wolff) to visit their hippie grandmother (Fonda) for the first time, who Diane hasn't seen in 20 years herself. Things start out awkwardly then take a turn for the better before getting complicated and messy, all thanks to love.
What makes this a film worth watching above all is the acting. Fonda is believable and lovable as the free-spirited, pot-dealing, war-protesting granny. And while Keener and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who plays a charming fellow hippie) also turn out good performances, it's Olsen and Wolff who really impress. Olsen finds a perfect balance of naivety and maturity and the hilarious Wolff proves to be a potential McLovin in the making.
However, while it's refreshing to see a film so peaceful, positive and pro-love, it also comes off a bit corny and runs into fairytale territory. There is a middle ground buried somewhere; this film just misses it. B
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