“The Last Word” (** out of four) was a curiously flat and unmoving story about the relationship between a bitter and tyrannical old woman (Shirley Maclaine) who hires a journalist (Amanda Seyfried) to write her obituary but this leads to them striking up a friendship that affects both their lives. A perfect role for Maclaine who plays this familiar part with ease but that doesn’t mean we care about (or like) her character at all. Seyfried is good but her and Maclaine never create much sparks or chemistry. A disappointing result from noted music video director Mark Pellington who made the sensational and underrated 1999 work “Arlington Road.”