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Movie Review - Young at Heart (2008)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Stephen Walker |
| Starring: |
The Young at Heart Chorus |
| Rated: |
PG (for some mild language and thematic elements) |
| Length: |
107 minutes |
| Genre: |
Documentary |
| Tagline: |
Rock 'n Roll Will Never Die |
| Studio: |
Fox Searchlight |
| Website: |
Young at Heart |
| Release: |
May 16, 2008 (Memphis) |
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PLOT
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Young at Heart documents the true story of the final weeks of rehearsal for the Young at Heart Chorus in Northampton, MA, whose average age is 81, and many of whom
must overcome health adversities to participate. Their music is unexpected, going against the stereotype of their age group, performing songs, for example, by James Brown,
and Sonic Youth. Although they have toured Europe and sang for royalty, this account focuses on preparing new songs, not an easy endeavor, for a concert in their home town,
which succeeds in spite of several real heartbreaking events.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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"Babe, you can't write anything bad about this movie 'cause these people will attack you. They'll hate you forever."
The people that Steph is referring to are my multitude of older *ahem* more mature readers who approached me after the movie screening to tell me how much they absolutely
loved the film. They made it perfectly clear that this is the perfect film for moviegoers who make frequent use of AARP discounts, and they also made me more than
a little fearful to even dare whisper anything negative.
The documentary isn't exactly what I was expecting. Not having done too much research prior to the screening, I formulated the idea that this was about an actual band. I
was looking forward to watching some 80-year-old dude jam on an Ed King Sweet Home Alabama guitar solo. Maybe get a few laughs at the expense of an old lady's turkey
arms flapping as she did her best Neil Peart drum solo. In reality, it's about a bunch of old people who show up to choir practice and sing a wide variety of music genres,
but very few of them possess actual talent. Unless you count the talent of the heart...
And all my readers go, "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"
There are certain age demographics who will not want to sit through this. I watched a group of teenagers get up and walk out about 10 minutes into the film. One 16-year-old
girl commented afterward about how bored she was. A group of about 7 octogenarians proceeded to beat her down and cannibalize her. It was one of the most horrific things I've
ever witnessed.
But to be fair, it takes a strong stomach to deal with close-up shots of a 90-year-old woman's whiskers and an 80-year-old man's flabby chest. Life ain't always pretty,
and the film emphasizes that. Some of the attempts at "singing" can only be listened to through squinted ears, but that doesn't take away from the intrinsic entertainment
value of an old man butchering James Brown by singing about how he feels nice "like sugar and rice."
Despite its real-life warts, it is a touching film, tapping into multiple veins of emotion. If you can groove to the film's vibe then you'll likely laugh and
cry. Death is fairly common for this group, and we witness how they deal with a couple of instances. I'll admit that I got a little teary-eyed during their rendition of
Forever Young. Typically, the only thing that causes me to tear up during a Bob Dylan song is his singing, but the circumstances behind this particular song choice
touched me. And considering the performance was at a local prison, to watch a group of hardened criminals get a little emotional is a true lesson in the power it takes
to touch the human soul, no matter how calloused.
And let's be honest - old people are hilarious, especially when they're attempting to do things most folks would accuse them of being too old to do.
Is it a film that I would pay to see it the theater if it were just me? Nah. I could wait for the DVD. But if either of my grandmothers were still alive then it's a great
family film that I would've loved to take them to. And that's one reason the film touched me more than it might typically - I saw it shortly after my grandmother's passing.
The true beauty of Young at Heart is that not only does it remind us that we should appreciate people of all ages and respect their desire to not accept the
aging process, but it also reaffirms that you're only as old as you allow yourself to feel.
You may be old of age, but if you're young at heart then the joys of life still abound.
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STEPH'S TAKE
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"I feel nice, da na na na na na na, like sugar and RICE! Da na na na na na na!"
The cutest old man who never seemed to have his glasses sitting correctly on his face and who always forgot his lines sang this line in their grand performance,
"Alive and Well!" It's so cute because he'll just stop in the middle of the song sometimes with this look on his face like, "I really have no idea what line comes next ... I
know I knew earlier and I'll probably get in trouble for not knowing it now, but I just don't know what else to do, so I'll just put on my cutest puppy dog look and hope that
Bob (the chorus leader) doesn't get too upset with me."
My goodness, these old people are just so darn cute!
"Rice" instead of "spice" is not an accident. Apparently this particular cute ol' man always forgets his lines, and so on performance night this is what came out! Usually it's, "I
feel nice, like I knew that I would," or "I feel good, like sugar and spice." This time he just threw out the correct line altogether and added rice. And guess what? It was
perfect! This movie totally just blessed my heart!
Look, I just saw for the first time what JB's fan base looks like, and they are a bunch of precious people who, might I add, LOVED this movie along with me (minus one of the
granddaughters who looked maybe 15 years old?). Anyway, the movie is light-hearted, inspirational, and touching.
Like I mentioned above, old people are just so darn cute. I told JB that after watching the movie I wanted to quit my teaching degree and go work in an old folks' home. He
told me I wouldn't last a week. I told him that someone had to do it. His response? "Yeah, but not you. You wouldn't make it a day; you'd be so depressed." Hmm. I sure
hope JB wasn't trying to put a damper on my uplifted spirits; that would not be nice.
Anyway, the point from all this and definitely the main purpose of the movie is to show you that old people still have life within them. They are so full of life, energy,
and good spirits! Not only are they so cute, they are stinkin' hilarious! My goodness, to be the chorus director for this group, mm mm mm, I'd like to contact that guy
and sit for hours just listening to his stories.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Stephen Walker directed Prisoners in Time starring John Hurt who was in The Proposition with Guy Pearce who was in L.A. Confidential with Russell
Crowe who was in American Gangster with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Safe for the whole family.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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This is a good judge of what to expect.
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THE GIST
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Are you old enough to qualify for a senior citizen's discount? Then go see this film. Are you young but love old people? Then go see it. Take your parents or grandparents.
But if after reading my review you're not so sure then it's probably best you wait for the DVD.
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