Poms (film)

Poms is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Zara Hayes, starring Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Pam Grier, Celia Weston, Alisha Boe, Phyllis Somerville, Charlie Tahan, Bruce McGill, and Rhea Perlman. The film follows a group of women from a retirement home who decide to start a cheerleading squad. It was theatrically released in North America on May 10, 2019, by STX Entertainment.

Plot
Martha, a woman who moves into a retirement community, starts a cheerleading squad with her fellow residents, Sheryl, Olive, and Alice, proving that it is never too late to follow your dreams.

Cast

 * Diane Keaton as Martha
 * Jacki Weaver as Sheryl
 * Rhea Perlman as Alice
 * Pam Grier as Olive
 * Celia Weston as Vicki
 * Alisha Boe as Chloe
 * Charlie Tahan as Ben
 * Phyllis Somerville as Helen
 * Carol Sutton as Ruby
 * Ginny MacColl as Evelyn
 * Patricia French as Phyllis
 * Bruce McGill as Chief Carl
 * Sharon Blackwood as Gayle
 * Karen Beverly as Barbara

Production
In July 2016, it was announced Zara Hayes would direct the film, from a story written by Hayes and Shane Atkinson and a screenplay by Atkinson. Nick Meyer, Rose Ganguzza, Celyn Jones, Kelly McCormick and Andy Evans serve as producers on the film, while Meyer Schaberg and Marc Schaberg will serve as executive producers, under their Sierra/Affinity, Mad as Birds Films and Rose Pictures banners, respectively. In May 2017, Diane Keaton and Jacki Weaver joined the cast of the film. In July 2018, Pam Grier, Rhea Perlman, Celia Weston, Phyllis Somerville, Alisha Boe, Charlie Tahan and Bruce McGill joined the cast of the film.

Principal photography began in July 2018, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Release
In November 2018, STX Entertainment acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film for $8–9 million. It was released in the United States on May 10, 2019.

Box office
In the United States and Canada, Poms was released alongside Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Tolkien and The Hustle, was projected to gross $7–10 million from 2,700 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $1.5 million on its first day, including $225,000 from Thursday night previews. It ended up under-performing, debuting to just $5.4 million and finishing in sixth. In its second weekend the film dropped 61% to $2.1 million, finishing ninth.

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 32% based on 68 reviews, with an average rating of 4.75/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "While the cast is something to cheer about, Poms squanders its talented stars on a clichéd comedy that disrespects the demographic it's trying to celebrate." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 37 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported women over 25 (who made up 63% of the opening weekend demographic) gave it an 81% positive score.