I’ve been complaining about dark comedies which wallow in bloodletting.  Well, here’s one that keeps the bloodletting to an absolute minimum but still packs a punch.  Instead of one person shredding a horde of unimportant assailants we have two women dealing with a specter from the past, in the very real form of a man who should have behaved better, and may now pay the ultimate price for his misdeed.

Paul Weitz’ story begins with a funeral, of the man’s wife, Joyce.  Two of her old friends, Claire (Jane Fonda) and Evelyn (Lily Tomlin), attend the funeral and Claire surprises Howard (Malcolm McDowell) by threatening to kill him.  Over the next few days, Claire enlists Evelyn to help her complete her task while Joyce’s family comes to terms with the surprises the women reveal.  And Claire reunites, briefly, with her ex-husband (Richard Roundtree).

These are old pros and they deliver winning performances and some profound moments about life and death.  While Lily Tomlin has never been a favorite of mine, she has some fine moments, more than Jane Fonda, who has to essentially play the straight man in this sometimes ribald comedy.  Best of all is Richard Roundtree, in a role he filmed shortly before his untimely death; his dignity and gravitas is most welcome to witness again.  I’ve always enjoyed Malcolm McDowell but his role here is just short of thankless; even he, however, has a few key moments.

The story is quirkily light, gradually darkening as Claire inches closer to extracting the revenge she so desperately desires.  Even so, the script tiptoes around Howard’s indiscretion so long ago and never mentions the one word that would put it all in context.  It becomes clear that writer-director Weitz is looking for the best way to give Claire her satisfaction while keeping her innocence relatively intact, and he eventually finds a way to do just that.  The story itself is something of a downer for senior life and somewhat discomfiting — but that’s largely the point.  Best to face things while we still can do something about them.  The real fun here, however, is watching these actresses work their wonders.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  29 January 2026