Best Sellers (2021)

Reclusive authors are great fodder for films, which makes the premise of Best Sellers (2021) seem like a surefire can't miss proposition. Aubrey Plaza stars as Lucy, a woman who has inherited the publishing house founded by her father Joseph (Luc Morissette). The only problem is that a series of terrible titles all failing miserably in the marketplace have left the publishing house on the brink of collapse. However, she soon discovers that the publishing house is owed a book from legendary author Harris Shaw (Michael Caine), the crotchety, reclusive, alcoholic author who helped put the company on the map back in his heyday. Desperate to save her company and perhaps even rehabilitate Shaw's image, Lucy decides that the two of them should embark on a tour with the author's new book, helping him reach an entirely new audience while also revitalizing the publishing house brand. Of course, that puts these two strange bedfellows in close company for several weeks, during which time they're almost guaranteed to learn a lot of life lessons from one another as they consider life from the other's perspective for the very first time. Granted, it's not the most original premise and bears the fingerprints of a dozen other similar films from over the years, but the chemistry between Caine and Plaza helps glide over those issues of sameness. It's also nice to see Aubrey Plaza flaunting her fabulous body in some sexy underwear as she has a romantic relationship with a character played by Scott Speedman. Sadly there's no nudity from Aubrey, though, which leaves us wondering if that will keep this title from being a Best Seller(s)!