is a comedy film that serves an updated version of a story we have previously seen in films such as Big and 13 Going on 30. The movie focuses on Mack Martin, a 30-year-old writer who rarely seems to leave her house until she is persuaded to embark on a trip to Palm Springs for her best friend's bachelorette party. While there, she attends a past life regression ceremony and is magically transformed into her future self, 70-year-old "Aunt Rita". Free to truly be herself, Mack seems to finally live a life free of limitations and fear, sparking a rollercoaster ride of romance, fun, and adventure.
The movie, released on August 12, has been directed by Katie Aselton, an American actress and filmmaker whose first directorial project was The Freebie in 2010. Her acting credits include The Sea of Trees, The Gift, Father Figures, The Tomorrow Man, The Devil Has a Name, and Bombshell. Mack & Rita also features a terrific cast, perfect for this lively and entertaining comedy that perhaps might warm a few hearts in the process. Let's take a quick look at the star-studded cast.
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Elizabeth Lail as Mack Martin
Elizbeth Lail stars as the movie’s main character Mack, a young and reclusive homebody who is forced to come out of her shell. Lail is an actress whose work includes Once Upon A Time, Dead of Summer, and the psychological thriller You. For her performance in the latter, she has received a Saturn Award nomination. She has more recently starred as Lola Morgan in the HBO reboot of Gossip Girl and as Jenny Banks in Ordinary Joe, an NBC television series that follows three parallel timelines of one man’s life.
Diane Keaton as Older Mack Martin/Aunt Rita
As Mack’s older and more vibrant self, Diane Keaton fits the role like a glove. The older Mack is a vivacious woman who creates a persona known as Aunt Rita and becomes a viral sensation. Keaton is an iconic American actress whose acting career spans five decades. She first appeared in a Broadway musical in 1968. Keaton is probably best known for her collaborations with the director Woody Allen, specifically with the 1977 movie Annie Hall, a role that won Keaton the Academy Award for Best Actress. A versatile performer who has acted in a wide variety of movie genres, Keaton has starred in a huge collection of movies including The Godfather, Manhattan, Baby Boom, Father of the Bride, The First Wives Club, Marvin’s Room, Something’s Gotta Give, and Book Club.
Audiences can expect to see Keaton next in the sequel to Book Club coming out in 2023, with most of the original cast members such as Andy Garcia, Jane Fonda, and Don Johnson reprising their roles.
Taylour Paige as Carla
Playing Mack’s best friend Carla, who is responsible for pushing her out of her comfort zone, is Taylour Paige. Paige is both an actress and dancer and is most notable for her role in the television series Hit the Floor as Ahsha Hayes. She has also starred in Jean of the Joneses in the title role, as well as the 2020 black comedy movie Zola, for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a film based on August Wilson’s play of the same name.
Paige is due to star in the upcoming superhero horror film The Toxic Avenger, a reboot of a film originally released in 1984, and Brothers, a comedy featuring Josh Brolin, Peter Dinklage, Glenn Close, and Brendan Fraser.
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Dustin Milligan as Jack
Dustin Milligan stars as Mack’s main love interest and Carla’s dog sitter, Jack. Milligan is a Canadian actor best known for his performances as Ethan Ward in 90210, a spinoff to the popular 90s series Beverly Hills, 90210, and in Schitt’s Creek as Ted Mullens. He also had a recurring role as Sgt. Hugo Friedkin in Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, starring opposite Samuel Barnett and Elijah Wood.
Apart from Mack & Rita, Milligan is also starring in the comedy film The People We Hate at the Wedding, which is expected to release in November 2022. The film focuses on a pair of siblings who agree to attend the wedding of their estranged half-sister, with Kristen Bell and Ben Platt in the lead roles.
Simon Rex as Luca
Portraying the spiritual hippy who is partly to blame for Mack’s drastic transformation is Simon Rex. Rex has starred in various roles in television and film including the 1999 series Jack & Jill, the 2002 series What I Like About You, the Scary Movie franchise, and National Lampoon’s Pledge This!. More recently Rex starred in the comedy-drama movie Red Rocket, a project that garnered a lot of praise and recognition specifically for Rex, who received Best Actor wins from the Independent Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Simon Rex will next appear in Zoë Kravitz’ directorial debut, puss* Island. The film will also star Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Geena Davis, and Haley Joel Osment.
Apart from these key characters, Mack & Rita also features Martin Short, Lois Smith, Wendie Malick, and Loretta Devine in supporting roles. Martin Short is an actor and comedian best known for his work in Three Amigos, Captain Ron, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, Inherent Vice, and his self-titled television series in 1999, The Martin Short Show.
Lois Smith is an American actress who made her film debut in the 1955 movie East of Eden opposite James Dean. Her other acting credits include Fatal Attraction, Twister, Minority Report, Lady Bird, and Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch.
Wendie Malick is better known for her work in television comedies, most notably in the HBO sitcom Dream On as Judith Tupper Stone and in the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! as Nina Van Horn. She has also appeared in over 50 different television series in guest appearances and smaller roles.
Loretta Devine has appeared in a variety of roles on both stage and screen. Her more popular performances include the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls (in which she played Lorrell Robinson), the 1995 movie Waiting to Exhale, and her recurring role as Adele Webber on Grey's Anatomy, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award.
