Another "granny" documentary opens: Sky Bergman's ode to seniors, LIVES WELL LIVED

Hot on the heels of last week's Nana comes another documentary inspired by the life of a filmmaker's grandmother, but this time, instead of concentrating on a single senior whose life was devoted to something significant, we're treated to a whole bunch of the aged in a mere 72 minutes, with maybe a dozen of their stories given to us in some detail, while the others (there are 40 folk included here) merely add a few thoughts to this mix about life, aging and living well. Overall, the documentary provides the expected upbeat scenario and should have audiences leaving the theaters where the film opens this Friday feeling good -- if not especially challenged or provoked in any way.

The filmmaker, Sky Bergman (shown above, left, with her grandmother, who was the person who most inspired this documentary), has set out to show the diversity and possibilities of old age and what can be done with these in a positive manner.

Her film, titled LIVES WELL LIVED: Celebrating the Secrets, Wit and Wisdom of Age, moves from that granny to a fellow, above, who now makes mozzarella daily for his daughter's deli to a woman, below, for whom (and evidently for decades now) yoga has been of major importance in life.

We meet another woman of Hispanic and Filipino heritage (below) who credits the Girl Scouts of America for providing her opportunities she had not found elsewhere. Among the many stray thoughts and ideas these seniors offer up, many may sound as though you've heard them (and more than once) previously, but there is one very smart and perhaps quite important one that might just get by you in the rush: A French/Danish woman quietly notes that "Your attitude" (the italics are mine) "is the only thing you really have control over in your life." An idea to live by, I should think. (I am very grateful to Ms Bergman for including it.)

Most of the participants here seem to be living middle-class-or-better lives, and we only hear briefly, if at all, about the battles they may have had to wage to get there. This keeps things

on that even keel and positive plane. Another woman, a Japanese-American (at left) whose family was placed in one of those despicably racist internment camps during World War II (second only in our country's history to its embrace of black slavery during its first century), has clearly risen above that most difficult period, though the documentary doesn't offer many clues or much info as to how.

One of the people included is a fellow referred to as Botso, about whom an entire and very good documentary (click on the link above for further info) was released back in 2014. What we learn of Botso here, however, barely skims the surface of what was/is a truly fascinating, amazing life and career.

As with any documentary that must fit all these lives into barely more than one hour, some peoples' stories will command much more attention and interest than others. TrustMovies was particularly taken with one couple -- she a member of the original Kinder-transport, he a German Jew who managed to escape the Holocaust -- of whom I'd have liked to learn much more. Ditto Santi, an evidently famous Italian photojournalist back in the day (above) whose comment, "In Europe, we know our limits" simply begs for a bit more exploration.

As does the life of the black woman named Blanche (at left), for whom dance was a cornerstone of life, who says that she did not come into her own till age 50.

I can't help wonder what and who she was and what she had to deal with prior to that. Well, maybe some enterprising documentarian will give each of these folk a movie of their own.

Skimming along a very pleasant surface but offering little depth, and more suited, I think, for the home screen than for movie theater prices (unless you have a MoviePass and use it often), Lives Well Lived has already opened in a number of cities around the country and hits some California venues this Friday, April 20, and then quite a few more locations over the weeks to come. Click here and scroll down to learn when and if it will be playing at a theater near you. 

What a surprise! Sam Hoffman's intelligent, satisfying generation-gap/old-age comedy, HUMOR ME

Down here in South Florida, we get perhaps more than our share of senior-citizen movies opening in local theaters. And why not? That's where we seniors do tend to congregate. So it comes as almost a shock when one of those movies -- in this case, HUMOR ME, written and directed by Sam Hoffman -- turns out to be a real winner: smart, often surprising, written, directed and acted with skill and flair, and above all else genuinely funny. What is particularly oddball and amusing about the film is how (and how well) Mr. Hoffman uses old-fashioned (but still funny) jokes -- both the telling of them and the visual creating of them via the use of black-and-white cinematography (think of those 40s film noir) -- as both the entry-way into and the very theme of his movie.

Never forget, the writer/director (pictured at left) seems to be telling us throughout this little low-key gem, exactly how important a good joke can be. He and his film prove this in spades. Humor Me is the tale of a blocked (in many ways) middle-aged playwright, Nate Kroll, given terrific life by that fine New Zealand actor, Jemaine Clement (above and below, right, of What We Do in the Shadows and People Places Things), who manages to be funny, sad, schlocky, sexy and lots more while always utterly believable. When events suddenly coalesce to the point where our hero has nowhere else to go, he must move into the rather upscale and not unpleasant retirement village in New Jersey with his dad (played in unusually reticent and quite smart fashion by Elliott Gould, at left, below and on poster, top).

Once there, Nate meets a whole raft of interesting and often funny characters, brought to life by as good a cast of seniors as has been assembled in quite some time. Better yet, Mr. Hoffman gives them all enough character and wit to make them fun to be around. While the filmmaker deals with the usual cliches about the elderly, he manages to turn enough of them on their ear so that we laugh and eagerly follow along.

Smartly, Mr. Hoffman has created an inter-generational movie, rather than merely one about seniors, and the middle-aged adults here get to shine as brightly as do the aged. Nick meets the daughter (Ingrid Michaelson, above) of another senior on premises and even gets roped into "directing" a very mini-mini version of The Mikado (below) -- the result of which provides the movie with its absolutely delightful, refreshing and very funny climax.

Yes, OK: This is not great movie-making in any regard. And yet, when compared to some of the really awful stuff we've been subjected to down here over the past couple of years that TrustMovies and spouse have been living in Florida -- Silver Skies and Year by the Sea come immediately to mind --  Humor Me seems very nearly Oscar-worthy.

With supporting roles filled ever-so-nicely by actors such as Priscilla Lopez (second from left, above), Rosemary Prinz (center right, above), Le Clanché du Rand (second from right, above) and Willie C. Carpenter, the movie fairly zings along on its humor, heart and smarts. A word must also be said for actor Joey Slotnik, who plays Zimmerman, the subject of all the movie's black-and-white-photographed jokes. He, like so much else here, is a consistent delight.

From Shout Studios and running just 93 minutes, Humor Me -- after opening in New York and Los Angeles a week or so back -- hits South Florida this Friday, January 26, in Miami at AMC Aventura, in Fort Lauderdale at The Classic Gateway Theater, The Last Picture Show in Tamarac, Regal Shadowood in Boca Raton and at The Movies of Delray  To view all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters, click here.
Humor yourself and go see this one.

Andy Tennant's silly -- but surprisingly enjoyable -- "senior" frolic, WILD OATS on DVD

How bad can a movie be that stars Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange and Billy Connolly? Not very, as it turns out. WILD OATS, written by Gary Kanew and Claudia Myers and directed by Andy Tennant, may be a foolish, feel-good fantasy about a couple of newly-single seniors who suddenly come into a fortune (incorrectly, as they realize from the outset), but it is acted with enough polish and filled with gorgeous locations and funny/silly/intriguing events that it bounces along handily from first scene to last.

Since it runs but 86 minutes, that first-to-last proves at the very least painless and at best quite chuckle-worthy. It is, as a friend of mine notes about certain movies, like taking a fun, fast and affordable vacation.

As directed by Mr. Tennant, shown at right, who has already given us a number of OK movies -- from Ever After and Anna and and the King to Sweet Home Alabama -- this one may be low on any kind of credibility but it's high enough on the goofy entertainment chart to pass muster.

If a movie like Silver Skies, which I covered earlier this week, can get a theatrical release, it seems surprising -- given its even starrier cast -- that this one could not. In any case, it's available beginning today, Tuesday, October 4, on DVD, Digital HD and VOD. If you're in a mood for light-n-airy entertainment, it'll do the trick.

MacLaine (two photos up) and Lange (above) play BFFs recently left by their men (the former's now a widow, while the latter's hubby has roamed to younger pastures). The women take their new fortune and head for the Canary Islands, where they meet Connolly (below, center), playing a charming senior who appears to be suffering from some form of dementia.

The ladies indulge themselves via this computer-glitch money, even as MacLaine's daughter (played by Demi Moore) and an insurance investigator (Howard Hesseman) fly to the Canaries to head them off. Spanish comedian Santiago Segura makes an appearance as a crooked wine connoisseur, while a cute young hunk who favors older women (Jay Hayden) heads for Ms Lange.

It's all by rote and by golly, but MacLaine's and Lange's polish and professionalism carry the day, while Mr Tennant's work, along with that of the screenwriters, is perfectly serviceable. This movie knows what it is, does not try for anything further, and so delivers its goods effectively. Before you can say, "Hey, it wasn't so bad!" it's all over, you've had your cheap vacation, and you're off to bed. Or maybe for that final nightcap.

From The Weinstein Company (and unceremoniously dumped into a single New York theater last month, with no press screening and consequently no reviews) and released to DVD via Anchor Bay Entertainment, Wild Oats is available now on home video via DVD, digital HD and VOD.

Movie sop for seniors: Rosemary Rodriguez's SILVER SKIES hits Florida theaters this week

It's true that we seniors enjoy seeing ourselves up there on the (as we used to call it) silver screen, but I suspect a lot of us may bridle at depictions such as those in the film that opens this week in Florida theaters. SILVER SKIES is the name of a Southern California apartment complex that doubles as the movie's title, and it is filled with seniors of relatively humble means who suddenly find themselves threatened with eviction when the property is sold to someone planning to turn it into expensive condos.

The biggest draw for the aged here will likely be the once-upon-a-time starry cast of now elders that include the likes of George Hamilton, Valerie Perrine, Barbara Bain, Alex Rocco, Mariette Hartley and Howard Hesseman (among others). And, yes, it is interesting to see how these actors have aged from the time of their career height until now. But as written and directed by Rosemary Rodriiguez, shown at right, the movie lurches clunkily from caricature to caricature, comedy to bathos, and coincidence to coincidence, with occasionally more-or-less believable moments in between. That last is due mostly to the work of the actors on view.

Ms Rodriguez's script is simply bad -- obvious and predictable -- as it tackles subjects that range from gentrification and the real estate market to senior sex and senior sexual abuse, and then abjectly fails to give these the kind of nuance that would make them seem anything more than crass and manipulative. Think of it as an old-fashioned TV sit-com, using today's hyped-up sexual situations and their accompanying language as fodder.

We get it all here, including Alzheimer's (via the character played by Mr. Hamilton, above). While I realize that this disease can render its victim sometimes incapable and at other time more competent, the range this character depicts seems much more due to the needs of the plot than to anything remotely real or genuine.

The cast comes through as well as possible under these circumstances, with Ms Perrine (above) looking as lovely and tart-like as ever, Ms Bain appropriately old-but-caring and Ms Hartley still exuding intelligence and class. After only maybe a half hour of viewing, my spouse likened Silver Skies to suicide-by-movie, but we soldiered on. Arriving toward the finale, the film did seem to improve somewhat, but I suspect that may have been due to the fact that we were, at that point, so worn down by it that we welcomed whatever might come -- so long as it ends.

If you are desperate for something "senior," the film -- opens this coming Friday, October 7, in the Miami area a the AMC Aventura and Sunset Place, in Boca Raton at the Regal Shadowood, in Sarasota at the Regal Hollywood, and in the Ft. Myers/Naples area at the Regal Belltower and Hollywood Stadium.

Jerry Lewis returns to the screen in Daniel Noah's sunset-years drama, MAX ROSE

To get right to it, MAX ROSE, the (sort of) new film from writer/director Daniel Noah, is not very good. But as it stars one of the most famous comedians of all time, Jerry Lewis, who is very good but who has not appeared onscreen in a theatrically-released movie in some 21 years (although his voice has), this may be enough to coax you into a theater for this movie's very limited release. Made in 2013 and making a kind of splash at that year's Cannes festival, the film is only now hitting theaters in the U.S.

Mr. Noah's movie (the filmmaker is shown at right) is not a bad one. It resists the usual urge to cutesy up old age (except in one too-lengthy scene of seniors "having fun" in their retirement home, below). Instead it reflects on its title character, played by Mr. Lewis, as a man who recently lost his wife -- twice: once to death and again to the revelation that she may have actually loved another man more than her husband of forty-odd years.

As writer and director, Mr. Noah offers a movie and a character that are bleak and real. But then, by the end of this short film, he has tidied up relationships between father and son, father and daughter, even, god help us, between that husband and his wife's elusive lover. This will please elderly audiences who want feel-good above all else but leaves the rest of us pining -- particularly given what has come before -- for a finale that offers something a little stronger than "love is all you need."

What makes the movie so watchable, however, is the subtlety and finesse with which Lewis works his wonders. His face, even at the approaching age of 90, is a pleasure to behold. How he takes us from moment to moment, feeling to thought and back again, is rich, varied and pleasurable.

The rest of the cast is well-chosen and also deliver the goods, particularly the still beautiful and always intelligent Claire Bloom, as the late wife we see only in flashback and in Max's mind, and especially the wonderful Dean Stockwell as the wife's lover, very nearly making as deep and surprising an impression here as he did in Blue Velvet.

Kerry Bishé (above, left) and Kevin Pollack (in profile, above right) -- as, respectively, Max's granddaughter and son -- are also fine, though their characters must bend to the exigencies of a too manufacturer-for-resolution screenplay. It is odd to be recommending a viewing of a film as finally flawed as this one. Yet for these excellent performances alone -- and the opportunity to see Mr. Lewis in action so quietly and spectacularly once again -- it's worth our time.

Distributed via Paladin and running a mere 83 minutes, Max Rose opens this Friday, September 2, in New York City at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema and in Los Angeles next Friday, September 9, at Laemmle's Royal, Playhouse 7 and Town Center 5. Elsewhere? Yes: Here in South Florida, the movie opens on Friday, September 23, in Miami at Regal's South Beach 18 and at AMC's Sunset Place 24, and Aventura 24; in  Fort Lauderdale at The Classic Gateway, The Last Picture Show, and the Silverspot Coconut Creek; in Boca Raton at the Living Room Theaters and Regal's Shadowood 16. 

The best-yet from Andrew Haigh, 45 YEARS gives Rampling and Courtenay plum roles

What a career so far has had British writer/director Andrew Haigh. Though TrustMovies has not seen his first film, Greek Pete, his second (Weekend) and third, the just-opening 45 YEARS -- with two seasons of the fine HBO series, Looking, boxed between -- is more than enough to place this fellow among the top tier of filmmakers who understand how to probe relationships and their place within the society around them. Haigh (shown below) will probably never make an Avengers blockbuster, but for those of us who want intimate, honest and revealing on our menu, he is not only the chef du jour but very likely de la vie.

Haigh really is a writer. His dialog sparkles, not so much with Wilde-ian or Coward-like bon mots, but with a reality that grounds everything and even, sometimes, does indeed sparkle with wit and charm. Mostly though, it reflects so very well the character of the speaker that we come to understand as fully as possible the person we're watching and with whom we're empathizing. This is no small potatoes. For those of us who want to enter the lives of others as fully as possible, in fact, his work proves about as fulfilling as it gets. If he is no great visual artist as yet, it seems to be that with each new project, he grows quietly and slowly in this regard, as well.

45 Years is his most fully realized work yet, even if Looking, with its series approach, allowed him to probe at greater length. In this latest work, he's cast two superb actors, Charlotte Rampling (above) and Tom Courtenay (below), playing long-time mates who, one typical and pleasant morning, get some news that sets in motion all kinds of unearthings and repercussions.

The film is full of such understanding of how long-time marriages work, as well as how we can, even into the later years, be surprised by ourselves and our significant others, whom we seem never to know as fully as we might have imagined.

Here, as the couple and their closest friends prepare for a celebration of the pair's marriage (45, though not a major anniversary, is being celebrated due to a missed event some years previous), we and they learn things that might be better have been left unexplored. Once opened, however, the contents keep bubbling over.

Haigh allows us to get a fine sense of the couple's everyday activities, and, as we probe their inner lives, we discover more. Ms Rampling has seldom has the chance to explore a character this fully and exquisitely, and she rises to the challenge with every movement, expression and pore (I should think she'd be a shoo-in for Best Actress nomination.). Courtenay has the harder role because, being a man, his character has simply repressed so much for so long that the unearthing leaves him weak and spent, even as he barely comes to terms with it all.

The supporting cast is fine and effective, with Geraldine James (above) the standout as Rampling's best friend and sounding board. But it is Mr. Haigh to whom the lions' share of the praise must go. He has taken a short story (by David Constantine) and adapted it beautifully, then filmed the result with the help of his fine cast so that we enter these lives about as fully and believably as possible, with nary a touch of melodrama.

The movie takes us to the brink, as does Ms Rampling, leaving us in a state of breathless agitation and near wonder. It will leave intelligent audiences talking amongst themselves, I suspect, about the finale and what it presages, as few other films have done this year.

45 Years, from Sundance Selects and IFC Films and running a precise and swift 95 minutes, plays New York City at the IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinema; in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Royal.

Here in Southern Florida, the film will open January 22 in Miami at MDC’s Tower Theatre and the South Beach 18, and at the O Cinemas in Miami Beach. On January 29, look for it at the Cosford Cinema, Miami; in Broward at Cinema Paradiso, Hollywood, and The Classic Gateway 4; and in Palm Beach County at the  Living Room Theater and the Regal Shadowood 16, both in Boca Raton; at the Movies of Delray and the  Movies of Lake Worth.

On February 5, it hits  Key West's Tropic Cinema and Sarasota's Burns Court Cinemas. February 12 will see it open in Ft. Myers at the Regal Bell Tower 20; in Naples at the Regal Hollywood Stadium 20, Silverspot; and in Benita Springs at the Prado. On  February 26, it comes to Orlando's Enzian theatre.

Michel Bouquet in full bloom: Stéphanie Chuat & Véronique Reymond's THE LITTLE BEDROOM

Americans (of a certain age, at least) know their French Michels pretty well: There's the late Michel Serrault (La Cage aux folles) and Michel Simon (Port of Shadows), Michel Piccoli (La belle noiseuse) and Michel Blanc (Monsieur Hire). But what about Michel Bouquet? Last seen on theses shores in the title role of Renoir, the actor, shown at left and below, will turn 89 this November. He's a splendid talent, and although Bouquet has been working in film since 1947, it was probably the quick succession of The Bride Wore Black (1968), Mississippi Mermaid ('69) and Borsalino ('70) that brought him attention here in the USA. He's still at it, dishing up a fine performance with each new movie, and though it has taken THE LITTLE BEDROOM (La petite chambre) four years to reach American screens, the wait was worth it, for this is one of the actor's finest roles.

The story here will hit home for most western cultures, due to the age and situation of its leading character, Edmond (played by Bouquet): Approaching his dotage and growing both physically and mentally frail, though thankfully with a dry and dark sense of humor, Edmond has been moved to the town where his son dwells and is supplied with a pretty nice apartment  in which to live. (Granted there are a lot of stairs to climb, but, hell, it's exercise!)

Our senior citizen is also supplied with a young nurse/home-care attendant named Rose (Florence Loret Caille, above, left) to provide the needed help -- which, of course, Edmond rejects out of hand. Rose herself could use some help, suffering as she is from grief and loss. Her husband, Marc, played by that fine actor, Éric Caravaca (below), does what he can, but no, it's is really up to Edmond and Rose to guide each other into repair.

Where The Little Bedroom is headed is never much in question, but the journey getting there is filled with events that seem genuine and real, alternately funny and quietly moving. The film-making duo of Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond (shown below, with Ms Chuat on the left) knows how to compact a small movie like this one with singular events that resonate and build to a thoughtful and moving conclusion.

Their film is full of little touches -- like the family at the finale who photographs Edmond --  that seem both special and real. The dialog is spot-on (both women wrote the film as well as directed it), letting what exposi-tion we need tumble easily from the conversations between characters.

Finding ourselves through helping others is certainly a time-tested means of growth and change -- as well as helping a movie about this very subject appeal more strongly to its audience. That's the case here, and by the end of The Little Bedroom -- another of those small films that bites off just what it can chew and digest -- I think you'll be very pleased that you viewed it.

The movie -- a Switzerland/Luxembourg co-production distributed in the USA by Cinema Libre Studios and running 87 minutes -- opens here in New York City tomorrow, Friday, September 26, exclusively at the Cinema Village. Los Angeles audiences will get to see it come October 3, when it opens at Laemmle's Music Hall 3, Town Center 5 and Playhouse 7. And as with most of Cinema Libre's output, it will be available in other formats, as well. The Little Bedroom hits DVD, Amazon Instant Video and Vudu on December 9th.