As the turbulent waters of the film industry slowly steady themselves in a post-2020 world, it feels refreshing to see a movie like "Mac & Rita" coming to theaters in the middle of August. It's a bit of a snarky, backhanded compliment to a largely unsuccessful movie, but August has always been known as the purgatory period of moviegoing because studios have released all their blockbusters in June and July and are waiting for the fall to release their awards players. Most movies released in August tend to lean to the more forgettable side, if not outright bad, but there are plenty of instances of August surprises. "Mac & Rita" is one of those movies, tailor-made for August.
The movie is inoffensive, inconsequential, and instantly forgettable. Perhaps it will fill a few seats at a Saturday matinee based on the wacky charm of Diane Keaton, but "Mack & Rita" getting a theatrical release, when so many anticipated movies are being put on streamers, is one of the more confounding moves of the film industry's reset (yes, it's different for every distributor, but it's still an interesting development).
Mack (Elizabeth Lail, in a bit of an overly earnest performance) is frustrated with the trajectory of her life. She wrote a book of essays, but hasn't published anything since. She has become an Instagram influencer - much to her chagrin - to pay the bills, but really wants to be known as a writer. Mack has always felt like an old soul and always felt complimented when people would tell her that (relatable, truly). She idolized her grandmother growing up, and loved spending time with her and her friends.
Carla (Taylour Paige, from last year's "Zola"), Mack's best friend, is getting married and they are spending the weekend in Palm Springs for her bachelorette party. Mack doesn't really like the party scene, so when Carla and two of their other friends go to a pop-up concert, Mack decides to visit a "regression tank," which is run by a shady man named Luka (played by Simon Rex, who gave a compellingly scummy performance in last year's "Red Rocket"). All Mack wants to do is lay down and rest for a little bit, but something happens in the regression tank and Mack comes out of it as a 70-year-old-woman (played by Keaton). She adopts the name Rita in her new body as she tries to navigate the world as she once thought she wanted to.
"Mack & Rita" is the third directorial outing from actress Katie Aselton, who showed a sharp eye for tension with her 2012 thriller "Black Rock," but can't quite give new life to a body swap comedy. The thesis of "Mack & Rita" is paper thin and obvious, almost as if the actors are ready at any point to turn to the camera and shout "Just Be Yourself!" mantras at the audience.
Keaton is always a quirky and warm screen presence, channeling the "La-di-da" persona that made people fall in love with her as a performer into all her performances. She's having a blast, but "Mack & Rita" doesn't give her much to do besides shriek and scream and try to adapt to being a 30-year-old in a 70-year-old's body. It's tired stuff, but it might be the light and fluffy kind of movie to convince its demographic to return to the movies.
Mack & Rita Movie Review By Matthew Passantino
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