Any comedy starring Diane Keaton is a welcome proposition, especially one that casts her as a headstrong retiree leading an elderly cheerleading squad. If anyone could pull off "Poms," a potentially giddy mix of "Cocoon" and "The Full Monty," it's Keaton, charming and sly as ever at 73. What's more, her support cast is an intriguingly eclectic group of familiar but underutilized faces.
If only "Poms" treated its actresses with the care they deserved, the movie could have been a real gem. Instead, it's a slapdash, thoughtless mess. Like a busy teenager who barely acknowledges her grandparents, this movie doesn't seem to realize what treasures it has.
Keaton plays Martha, a single woman with no children and ovarian cancer. After leaving her city apartment for a home in the retirement community of Sun Springs, Martha discovers that she won't be allowed to die in self-imposed misery; she'll be expected to smile, socialize and even join a club. Instead, recalling a high-school dream unfulfilled, Martha forms a club of her own for aging cheerleaders. Despite much tongue-clucking from the community's grandes dames (Celia Weston plays the unctuous Vicki) and much mockery from the local high school girls (among them Alisha Boe as Chloe), Martha and her team move forward _ all the way to a statewide competition.
