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Wild Oats (film)

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Wild Oats
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAndy Tennant
Written by
Produced by
  • Blythe Frank
  • Lucas Jarach
  • Kip Konwiser
  • Chris Ranta
  • Nicolas Veinberg
  • Dan Zisson
Starring
CinematographyJosé Luis Alcaine
Edited byTracey Wadmore-Smith
Music byGeorge Fenton
Production
companies
  • Wild Pictures
  • Defiant Pictures
  • Mountaintop Pictures
  • The Exchange
Distributed by
Release dates
  • August 22, 2016 (2016-08-22) (TV)
  • September 16, 2016 (2016-09-16) (United States)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$247,949[1]

Wild Oats is a 2016 American comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and written by Gary Kanew and Claudia Myers. The film stars Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange, Demi Moore and Billy Connolly in his final film role before retirement. The film premiered on Lifetime on August 22, 2016, prior to being released in a limited release on September 16, 2016, by The Weinstein Company and RADiUS-TWC.

Plot

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When retired high school teacher Eva loses her husband, she mistakenly receives a $5,000,000 check on her deceased husband's $50,000 life insurance policy. Her friend Maddie, whose husband has just left her for a younger woman, convinces her to keep the money and they both depart to live it up at a resort on Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands.

Once there, Eva is courted by an older gentleman who accompanies her in town. In the local casino she wins almost half a million euros despite knowing nothing about card games. Eva ends up in bed with him after a 7-year dry period without sex with her husband.

Her friend Maddie loses money, but finds a young virile man who has just lost his girlfriend, and happens to like older women. Their sex rejuvenates her, but in the process he strains his back.

In the meantime, the American insurance investigator is on Eva's trail, together with her mostly estranged daughter, to get back the $5,000,000 for the Beneficial Life Insurance Company, but they are trumped by the Company's European representative who accepts a bribe to let her escape rather than sending her to the worst woman's prison in the Spanish-speaking world.

Maddie realizes that the older gentleman is a scam artist, and with the hotel detective finds out that he's working for Don Carlos, the richest man on the island. Eva and Maddie escape from the insurance investigator and go to Don Carlos, who is feared by everyone who knows him - except his firecracker of a Brazilian second wife, who tears into him when his bodyguard, who is her lover and the father of her child, is disturbed by the guard's gratuitous gun fire. Besides cheating older women, Don Carlos also swindles wine snobs by selling them inferior wine with impressive labels from classy estates, though the bottles are occasionally dropped by the older gentleman, who is known under various names including Bix.

The story ends on a happy note because Don Carlos gives Eva back her winnings: it turns out that Don Carlos was an exchange student in Liberty, IL, where Eva was everyone's favorite teacher, as has been said by various people who help her along during the movie.

After paying back the insurance company and paying her hotel bill, Eva still has over $200,000. She gives half to Maddie, who decides to stay a little longer with her young lover; and Eva goes back to the US. Later, at a beach ceremony, where Eva, her daughter and others seemingly are laying flowers on the ocean as a tribute to someone whom the audience may assume to be Maddie, it is revealed Maddie is fine, and has just married her young lover.

Cast

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Production

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The film's production history was a protracted one beset by financial difficulties and involving multiple crew and cast changes. On April 9, 2012, Dimension Films first acquired the film, with Howard Deutch set to direct and Shirley MacLaine, Jacki Weaver and Alan Arkin joining the cast.[7] By September of that year, Jack Black, Maria Bello and Jon Voight were added to the cast.[8][9] Weaver, Arkin, Black, Bello, and Voight would all eventually drop out to pursue other projects.[10]

On October 17, 2013, Andy Tennant was announced to direct the film.[2] On May 9, 2014, Jessica Lange replaced Weaver and Sarah Jessica Parker joined the cast.[10][3] On June 11, 2014, Demi Moore replaced Sarah Jessica Parker after she dropped out.[4] On June 21, 2014, Matt Walsh joined the cast of the film.[6]

Las Vegas was originally intended as the lead characters' getaway destination, but the crew had to settle for the Canary Islands for tax purposes.[10]

Filming

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Principal photography began on June 10, 2014, in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (Spain), and ended on July 15, 2014.[11][12] The film has 43 credited producers.[13]

The making of Wild Oats inspired Shirley MacLaine’s 2016 memoir Above the Line: My 'Wild Oats' Adventure.[14][15]

Release

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The film's distribution in the U.S. was set to be handled by The Weinstein Company—then also undergoing its own financial problems—and its international distribution was to be handled by Sony.[6] The film ultimately premiered on Lifetime on August 22, 2016,[16] and entered a limited release on September 16, that year.[17] The film made just over $40,000 in domestic grosses.[18]

The film holds a 0% approval from 5 critics on Rotten Tomatoes.[19]

Lawsuit

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In February 2017, Impex Entertainment filed a lawsuit against Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions for $1 million alleging failure to pay a $855,000 licensing fee no later than 10 days following the film's theatrical release, and an additional $95,000 payment, which Sony refused to pay.[20] In March 2017, Sony filed suit against one of the film's producers, stating the film's premiere on Lifetime breached a contractual theatrical requirement and thus, the licensing fees fall to him.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Wild Oats". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Fleming, Mike (October 17, 2013). "Andy Tennant Signs With Paradigm, Has Shirley MacLaine, Jacki Weaver, Alan Arkin Circling 'Wild Oats'". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "CANNES: Jessica Lange, Sarah Jessica Parker Joining Shirley Maclaine in 'Wild Oats'". Variety. May 9, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Demi Moore Replacing Sarah Jessica Parker in 'Wild Oats'". Variety. June 11, 2014. Archived from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Fleming, Mike (June 11, 2014). "Shirley MacLaine Joins 'Wild Oats'". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "'Veep's Matt Walsh Joins Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange In 'Wild Oats'". Deadline.com. January 1, 1970. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  7. ^ Fleming, Mike (April 9, 2012). "Dimension Films Acquires 'Wild Oats'". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  8. ^ "Relevant Communications Client Ken Esrig Becomes Associate Producer Of "WILD OATS" Starring Shirley MacLaine, Jon Voight And Jack Black". PR Newswire. September 5, 2012. Archived from the original on February 7, 2014. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  9. ^ "Jack Black to Star in WILD OATS Alongside Shirley MacLaine, Jacki Weaver, and Alan Arkin". Collider.com. November 20, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  10. ^ a b c King, Susan (March 5, 2016). "Classic Hollywood: Shirley MacLaine sows 'Wild Oats' and harvests a new book, 'Above the Line'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  11. ^ "On The Set For 6/16/14: Boxing Drama 'Southpaw' Starts, 'American Ultra' Wraps". Studiosystemnews.com. June 16, 2014. Archived from the original on July 1, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  12. ^ "On The Set For 7/21/14: Meg Ryan Directs & Stars In 'Ithaca' Adaptation Starting For Playtone, TWC's 'Tulip Fever' Wraps". Studiosystemnews.com. July 21, 2014. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  13. ^ Friedman, Roger (September 25, 2016). "Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange, Demi Moore Film Had 75 Producers, Made 40K, Gone in a Week". showbiz411.com. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  14. ^ MacLaine, Shirley (2016). Above the Line: My 'Wild Oats' Adventure. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1501136412.
  15. ^ MacLaine, Shirley (February 27, 2016). "Shirley MacLaine tells story of 'Wild Oats' production with Jessica Lange and Demi Moore, recalls 'past life' in mythical city of Atlantis". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  16. ^ "Wild Oats". Lifetime. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  17. ^ "Wild Oats". Coming Soon. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  18. ^ a b Gardner, Eriq (March 20, 2017). "Sony Claims 'Wild Oats' Lifetime TV Premiere Breached Deal for Theatrical Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  19. ^ "Wild Oats". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  20. ^ Cullins, Ashley (February 9, 2017). "Sony Pictures Sued by 'Wild Oats' Financier". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
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