Wild Oats

When Eva gets an insurance settlement check that reads $5,000,000 instead of the $50,000 she expected, she and her longtime friend Maddie decide to treat the mistake as an invitation to change their routines. They cash the check, buy plane tickets and a convertible, and set off from their quiet lives into a string of impulsive plans and new encounters. As they chase pleasures and old regrets, the money smooths some obstacles and creates others, pulling in eccentric companions and legal headaches. The film follows their spontaneous trip with humor and quiet moments, focusing on choices, loyalty, and how much of a past you can leave behind without losing yourself.

Directed by Andy Tennant and written by Claudia Myers and Gary Kanew, Wild Oats was released in 2016. The movie reunites Shirley MacLaine and Jessica Lange in the leading roles, with Billy Connolly, Santiago Segura and Howard Hesseman in supporting parts.

The movie opened in limited theaters and went on to reach a wider audience mainly through home video and streaming platforms, rather than major theatrical grosses. It did not register as a significant box office hit.

Wild Oats got attention largely because of its casting, putting two iconic actresses front and center in a late-career comedy about freedom and reinvention. That pairing sparked conversations about the kinds of stories available to older performers, and many viewers responded to the film simply for offering a relaxed, female-led road comedy.

Critical reaction was mixed, reflected in an average user score near 6.2 out of 10. Many reviewers and viewers complimented the easy rapport between MacLaine and Lange, while others felt the plot and tone wandered unevenly. The film leans on themes of friendship, aging, risk and second chances, mixing light humor with moments of sentiment as its characters test what they want next.