Review by Katrina Couzens of Call Me Grandma (and I will run for the hills) presented by Joanne Tindale

It’s no secret that women disappear from the silver screen as they age. But do you know what age counts as “old” for women in Hollywood? Do you know the few types of role women win Oscars for? Do you know what age Mrs Gump would have had Forrest if you use the ages of Sally Field and Tom Hanks? Joanne does. She’s crunched all the numbers.

Call Me Grandma is PhD research presented as stand-up comedy, and having seen Joanne pull it off, I’m completely sold on the format. Take note, researchers.

Weaving statistics, real world examples, and her own personal experiences as a mature-age film student from the regional town of Tambo (population: 300), Joanne gave us a thought-provoking and often shocking view of the media that gets accoladed, and the women who are rendered invisible by it.

This is not a show that will make you laugh ’til you drop (though you will scoff and snigger, and perhaps cackle if you’re feeling old and witchy). Rather, you will learn a tonne from a passionate and engaging woman who knows her subject inside out.

But if you are coming for the laughs, you’ll get your chance with the audience-driven Design-Your-Own-Oscar-Bait segment. And for any screen writers and producers reading this, please pick up our horror film about a 67-year old ex-nurse Sicilian spy from Tambo seeking revenge for the kidnapping of her mafia boss husband.

My mother and I talked for hours after Call Me Grandma. Sharing reflections and frustrations around our own experiences with film felt like a continuation of the show. Thank you Joanne!