Diane Keaton’s new movie, Mack & Rita, flips the narrative on age-swap comedies

Age swap comedies aren’t anything new. From Tom Hanks’ Big to Jennifer Garner’s 13 Going on 30, it’s a well-loved genre of film.

Diane Keaton, however, is trying something new with her upcoming age-swap movie.

The iconic Annie Hall actress will star in Mack & Rita, a story about a 30-year-old influencer, Mack, (played by Elizabeth Lail, from Netflix’s You) who wakes up to find herself in the body of a 70-year-old (Diane Keaton).

After Mack wakes up as the older Diane Keaton, she begins introducing herself as her own aunt, Rita.

Instead of this being played for laughs at the expense of the older demo, Mack & Rita will show how the reserved 30-year-old finds a new zest for life and confidence when she inhabits the older body.

The first trailer for the movie has been released and it looks set to be a feel-good flick.

In the trailer, Mack is shown as a reserved 30-year-old who describes herself as an “old soul.” Disconnected from her own generation, she finds herself struggling to fit in or feel confident to follow her dreams.

She says in the trailer, “I grew up always feeling like I was an older woman trapped in the body of a little girl. I did my darndest to keep my inner old gal to myself.”

During a bachelorette party in Palm Springs, Mack accidentally stumbles into a past life regression therapy tent.

After meeting the spiritual leader, played by Simon Rex (Scary Movie), Mack emerges from the tent as Diane Keaton.

Introducing her new self as Aunt Rita, Mack becomes a social media sensation, shedding herself of self-doubt and the expectations society puts on everyone.

Rebranded as a Glammy Granny, Rita not only becomes a social media star but also finds herself at the center of a budding romance with Mack’s hunky dog sitter, played by Schitt’s Creek’s Dustin Milligan.

The movie is directed by The Morning Show’s Katie Aselton and also stars Loretta Devine, Taylour Paige and Nicole Byer. It will be released in theaters on August 12.

Diane Keaton is currently busy filming another movie along with Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, and Andy Garcia who are all returning for Book Club 2: The Next Chapter.

The movie, currently filming in Italy, is a sequel to 2016’s Book Club which focused on four friends who read Fifty Shades of Grey as part of a monthly book club, and subsequently begin to change their attitudes towards sex and their personal lives.

The movie was a huge success, grossing over $104 million against a $14 million budget, making a clear case that there’s definitely room for stories about older women in Hollywood.