Diane Keaton Goes From Retiree To Cheerleader In ‘Poms’ Trailer
Diane Keaton’s new film, Poms, is a mature and uplifting comedy about a group of elderly women who decide to open a cheerleading club in their retirement home, with aspirations of winning a competition aimed at high schoolers. STX Entertainment, the production company behind Poms, recently dropped the trailer on their YouTube channel.
The story sees a woman (Keaton) checking herself into a retirement community, and sharing her abandoned dreams of being a cheerleader with one of the residents. In turn, she is inspired to start her own cheerleading club — one full of older women who want to fulfill their undesired dreams through dancing and supporting each other. Thus begins the recruitment process for the club, and the obligatory audition montage, which has been done to hilarious effect. It’s definitely a novel concept, and is completely endearing and sweet. But the most impressive aspect of Poms has to be its incredible, star-studded cast.
Keaton looks to be playing the straight character in the comedy, the one with the least quirks and eccentricities who reacts to the outrageousness around her. This is perfectly suited to Keaton’s sensibilities, given her incredibly strong dramatic acting talent. While she has done a lot of dramas, the Oscar-winning actress has made quite a name for herself in quirky comedies such as Something’s Gotta Give, The Family Stone, and more recently, Book Club.
The rest of the cast is comprised of veteran actresses who bring their own unique skillset to the film. Pam Grier, known for her ’70s blaxploitation films, returns in another feisty role in Poms — as one of the women who join the cheerleading club. Rhea Perlman, best known for her roles in Cheers and Matilda, join the ladies as a woman who has to wait for the death of her husband to be a cheerleader. Poms also sees other veterans such as Jacki Weaver, Phyllis Somerville, and Bruce McGill in supporting roles.
The trailer for Poms showcases a lot of comedy, but the stories also seem to be gesturing towards reality while still focusing on compelling character drama. To further establish this, the production actually had open casting calls in 2018 for many supporting roles and extras — hopefully lending a more authentic atmosphere to the film. Everyone — from the retirement home residents to the cheerleading teams during the competition — are to be played by relative unknowns. Little touches like these could make Poms yet another emotionally moving film.
Poms has been directed by Zara Hayes, making her feature film debut. The production is based off of a screenplay by Shane Atkinson.
