While this film has received less-than-glowing reviews, it does deliver a positive message about aging: It’s never too late to follow your dreams.
From the start, we know that Martha (Diane Keaton) is preparing for her demise. She holds an estate sale to dispose of 40+ years of possessions, packs what remains in a suitcase and a box, cancels her chemotherapy appointments, and drives to a retirement community in sunny Georgia.
Upon arrival, Martha realizes that the Sun Springs Retirement Community may not be the best fit for her introverted nature. Everything from flamboyant seniors riding in golf carts to annoying Southern Belles to the welcome sign—The time of your life for the rest of your life—annoys Martha.
Hoping to maintain a low profile, Martha is jolted out of self-imposed isolation by her nosy and noisy neighbor Sheryl (Jackie Weaver). With Sheryl’s help, Martha starts a cheerleading club and enlists six other women (Pam Grier, Rhea Perlman, Phyllis Somerville, Patricia French, Carol Sutton, and Ginny McColl). Their goal: Perform in the Community Variety Show.
Martha’s first challenge is a daunting one: Tailor the choreography to meet the myriad aches and pains of all the participants.
Second, deal with the antics of Miss Vicky (Celia Weston), the resident mean girl who is determined to curtail the rehearsal time of the club.
At this point, the film takes a bizarre twist. Sheryl arranges to use the gym at a local high school where she works as a substitute teacher. Unknown to the women, they will be rehearsing during a pep rally attended by all the students.
When their routine flops, it is recorded and goes viral on the Internet. Shamed and shut out of the Community Variety Show, Sheryl persuades the women to enter a real cheerleading contest in the “18-Plus” age category. With the help of Chloe (Alisha Boe), a “real” cheerleader, the eight women are transformed into a cohesive team.
A short, breezy film (91 minutes), Poms delivers many laughs as it celebrates the camaraderie of the women. I would have liked more details about their backstories. We are given only the skimpiest of information about Martha—retired teacher, no children, sick mother—revealed on photographs. Flashbacks with a younger Martha would have been more effective.
Definitely light fare.
M. K. Scott is the husband and wife writing team behind The Painted Lady Inn Mysteries and The Talking Dog Detective Agency. Morgan K Wyatt is the general wordsmith, while her husband, Scott, is the grammar hammer and physics specialist. He uses his engineering skills to explain how fast a body falls when pushed over a cliff and various other felonious activities. The Internet and experts in the field provide forensic information, while the recipes and B and B details require a more hands-on approach. Morgan’s daughter, who manages a hotel, provides guest horror stories to fuel the plot lines. The couple’s dog, Chance, is the inspiration behind Jasper, Donna’s dog. Overall, both are fun series to create and read.
At my house, the spring garden is in full bloom. The snowball bush, shown here, is so laden with blooms that you can hardly see the bush. All the beds have been cleaned and mulched. Now I can see every weed that has popped up in the last 2 months since spring cleaning. And it’s driving me nuts.
Where novice Sister Margaret Mary goes, trouble follows. When she barges into a drug deal the local Mexican drug lord captures her. To escape she must depend on undercover DEA agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward her is exasperating, but when she finds herself inexplicable attracted to him he becomes more dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is making her doubt her decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the nunnery is imperative, but life at the convent, if she can still take her final vows, will never be the same.
Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books, The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Here are some interesting facts about the protagonist of my new psychological mystery, Sea Scope:
Joanne Guidoccio 