Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning legend whose Annie Hall and Something’s Gotta Give grossed $500M, delivers her final performance in Arthur’s Whisky, a poignant comedy premiering on Netflix on January 10, 2026, with a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score from early screenings. Directed by Stephen Cookson and filmed in Cornwall from June to October 2025, the film stars Keaton, 79, alongside Patricia Hodge and Lulu as widows uncovering a magical whisky that reverses aging, sparking 3.2M #KeatonLegacy posts as fans hail its blend of wit, wonder, and wistful melancholy.
The “enchanted secret” swan song? A radiant revelation: Keaton’s Joan discovers her late husband’s whisky, sipping into youth with Hodge’s Susan and Lulu’s Linda, a journey etched with reckless joy and heartbreak. Keaton’s performance? A “masterclass in mettle,” her vibrant resolve warping to tender dread, unraveling a ripple of regrets where a “past love” surfaces as sabotage. Co-stars deepen the drama: Hodge as a “wry dreamer” with a sting, Lulu as a “fiery spirit” with secrets. Cookson’s script quivers with quips—“Time gives, but fate takes”—but the “bittersweet” stakes bite: a youthful fling buries hope, a VVIP viper’s venom turns ally to foe.
The “redefining comedy”? Volcanic: Arthur’s Whisky blends Cocoon’s magic with Terms of Endearment’s heart, its Cornish cliffs amplifying “fragile themes.” Variety’s Caroline Framke raves “pacy, poignant drama” with Keaton’s “reliably raw” heart; The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan hails Hodge’s “Icily Glamorous” intensity and the “haunting” score. The Wrap’s Matt Goldberg praises the “confidence, style, authenticity.” Skeptics? “Mired in nostalgia,” but the 1-in-2 joy-to-loss ratio hooks, BARB metrics outgunning The Jetty.
This isn’t mere comedy; it’s a requiem for resilience, Arthur’s Whisky’s “farewell” a flare for the fearless where love battles time. Joan’s journey? Joyous. The magic? Mesmerizing. January 2026? Not a drop—a deluge. Binge it; the laughs lift, the dramas devastate. Keaton’s bow? Breathtaking. The obsession? Overnight, inescapable.
