Thursday Movie Picks: Movies About The Elderly
1) Nebraska
Woody (Bruce Dern) drags his son on a roadtrip from Montana to Nebraska. This is one of the few instances where I like a modern film in black and white. I was pleasantly surprised by it.
2) Beginners
While this movie is from Ewan McGregor's point of view, I'm using it here because of Christopher Plummer's wonderful (and Oscar winning) performance. He's so sweet.
3) Up
The elderly couple that made all the unsuspecting Pixar fans bawl in the first 10 minutes of the movie. I really adore UP and Carl as a character.
I expected to love Beginners but ended up merely liking it. The performances were great though.
ReplyDeleteConversely I only thought I'd think Up was just okay, you know me and animation but everyone was praising it so I decided to watch and ended up loving it. So sweet and touching.
I still haven't gotten to Nebraska though I do want to see it.
Like you I thought this was supposed to be about the elderly but about and for sort of are co-mingle.
Cocoon (1985)-A group of seniors in a Florida rest home stumble upon a swimming pool that because of an alien "cocoon" hidden within has become a fountain of youth. After taking a dip they are rejuvenated and have a great deal of fun during their second fling at being young. Don Ameche won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role.
Out to Sea (1997)-Charlie and Herb (Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon) are retired long time friends. Schemer Charlie manages to convince Herb to take a cruise as a chance to meet women but what he doesn't tell him is that they are to be dance instructors on board! Complications ensue!
Louisa (1950)-Hal Norton (Ronald Reagan) suggests to his sweet but somewhat meddlesome mother Louisa (Spring Byington) that she should find some other interests outside their home when she gets too involved in the lives of his wife and kids. Louisa takes his advice and starts dating the local grocer Henry Hammond (Edmund Gwenn-Miracle on 34th Street's Kris Kringle). All is well and good until Hal's boss Abel Burnside (Charles Coburn) takes a fancy to her too and suddenly the Norton's placid life takes a crazy turn with Louisa in the middle of a late life love triangle! Sweet film with delightful performances by the three leads.
The funny thing is I hated Up the first time I saw it, and it wasn't until I had a kid myself and he got really into it that I started appreciating it more. I've yours I've only seen Cocoon. That was one we had on VHS growing up that I didn't love. Out To Sea sounds familiar, I probably remember trailers but haven't seen the film itself.
DeleteI have seen all 3!! I really liked Nebraska as it was quite quirky and June Quib( I think I got her name right) was hilarious and touching. Beginners was good, not great, but good and I did love Plummer. Up was so engaging, touching, funny and I loved that dog and bird.
ReplyDeleteI liked Nebraska a lot more than I expected to, that was a huge surprise. It's June Squibb! Close enough lol
DeleteBummer! I knew I got her name wrong and that’s a shame as she is so good. It seems I got the theme wrong. Maybe it should have had the title state films about seniors instead of for seniors. Oops for me.
DeleteI think you're on the right track. Plus, we share a pick with Nebraska which I think is a great movie. Plus, I like the other 2 picks and yes. Elderly would like these films including Up. It's a film they can watch with the grand kids.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. It works even with me misunderstanding the topic. lol
DeleteNebraska is popular this week. That's okay because it's a great film. Of course, Up is fantastic, too. Haven't seen Beginners.
ReplyDeleteBeginners is cute, you should give it a watch some time.
DeleteNice picks! I really enjoyed Beginners; I must watch it again sometime.
ReplyDeleteUp is a wonderful choice and Nebraska is definitely on my 'to watch' list after seeing so many other bloggers mention it.
I hope you enjoy Nebraska when you get to it!
DeleteGreat picks, I would pretty much die on the sword of any of these.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteAnybody who can watch the opening of Up without breaking down is not human. Some of the purest storytelling ever created on film.
ReplyDeleteThat was so unexpected too. I think that's what made me so angry about it the first time I watched, I was not prepared to cry 5 minutes into a Pixar film.
DeleteI think there's not much difference between for/them in these movies indeed. It was a difficult week I guess because I imagine when I'm 70 I'll be still drooling after Chris Evans and Marvel movies etc. :D
ReplyDeleteI have seen Beginners only, it's a good one. Up scares me, I don't want to cry :D
Right? I can't imagine my Chris Evans crush going away either lol
DeleteImagine him like grey and still hot.. hopefully not the Arnold kind... like I think he will age well. Let's see. lol
DeleteHe'll definitely have the silver fox thing going on.
DeleteI think you got confused because you had change the wording of theme. I had used "for the elderly" instead of "about". But yeah, often movies about the elderly were made with a senior audience in mind.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I love UP. It packed so much emotion in that first few minutes and it was silent too wasn't it?
I want to see Beginners, heard good things.
Yeah, I'm not sure how I went wrong there considering I just copy/paste your list into a draft every year. lol
DeleteI skipped this week because I couldn't be bothered to think about movies for the elderly haha.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Beginners but I loved the other two.
lol I don't blame you.
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