Mack & Rita

Directed by Katie Aselton, Mack & Rita follows Elizabeth Lail’s Mack Martin as she participates in a past-life regression and is subsequently transformed into her 70-year-old self (Diane Keaton’s Rita). It’s a seemingly foolproof premise that is, by and large, employed to mediocre and disappointing effect by Aselton, as the filmmaker, armed with Madeline Walter and Paul Welsh’s screenplay, delivers a hit-and-miss comedy that’s been suffused with a whole host of unfunny set-pieces and egregiously broad performances – with the latter certainly reflected most keenly in Keaton’s often uncomfortably over-the-top turn (ie she is, astonishingly enough, largely a grating presence here). There’s little doubt, as well, that Mack & Rita‘s failure can be attributed to Aselton’s head-scratching reluctance to fully embrace the wacky fish-out-of-water potential of the setup, and it’s likewise apparent that the movie’s ongoing emphasis on misguided sequences, including (and especially) a deeply unfunny bit involving Rita’s encounter with a larger-than-life influencer (Nicole Byer’s Urth), paves the way for an almost entirely uninvolving second half – which does, in the final analysis, confirm the picture’s place as a rather underwhelming endeavor that squanders its setup and talented cast.

** out of ****