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Tuesday, 15 August 2006 03:00 |
Coming from director Susan Seidelman, it is certainly a distinct change of pace from the woman who forged a reputation two decades ago with the restless youth movies "Desperately Seeking Susan" and "Smithereens," but she successfully serves a romantic comedy with a little more meat on its bones than the standard "Grumpy Old Men"-type offerings.
Hitting it home is a crack cast of seasoned pros, including Len Cariou, Sally Kellerman, Dyan Cannon, Joe Bologna, Renee Taylor, Michael Nouri and a particularly effective Brenda Vaccaro, who could teach the kids a thing or two about finely tuned, understated performances.
Already a proven hit with the Boynton Beach crowd (where it was filmed), the Roadside Attractions/Samuel Goldwyn release is initially being targeted to retirement communities like Palm Springs, where it should live long and healthy.
The film actually has Seidelman's mother, Florence, to thank for its genesis, who found inspiration in the stories told to her by her late friend's husband about his fellow bereavement class members who were suddenly finding themselves back on the dating scene after a very long absence.
Among those desperately seeking solace in the fictionalized version is the recently widowed Jack (Cariou) who is shown the ropes by resident player Harry (Bologna).
Although instantly catching the eye of decidedly forward Sandy (Kellerman), Jack prefers to go things a bit slower, as does Marilyn (Vaccaro), whose late husband Marty (Mal Z. Lawrence) was run over by the brassy Anita (Taylor) while gabbing on her cell phone.
Moving decidedly faster is Lois (Cannon) who feels like a kid again after striking up a relationship with younger man Donald (Michael Nouri), who has passed himself off as a successful developer.
As their lives and experiences intersect, the screenplay (penned by Seidelman and Shelly Gitlow) forgoes the temptation to shtick it to its audience in favor of some knowing truths, particularly when dealing with the usually verboten mainstream movie topic of sex between seniors.
She also has no trouble coaxing uniformly strong performances out of her game ensemble, but Vaccaro has the slight edge here in a funny and tender turn that is equal parts no-nonsense authority and aching vulnerability.
And though some of the obligatory "reveals" aren't as effective as others -- a plot development between Cariou and Kellerman's characters feels less than convincing -- the occasional downtime affords an ideal opportunity for viewers to survey all those well-preserved physical specimens and weigh in on the old who's-had-what-done game.
Director: Susan Seidelman, Screenwriters: Susan Seidelman, Shelly Gitlow
Executive producers: Deborah Shantz van Eck, Blair Treisman Rosenfeld
Producers: Florence Seidelman, Susan Seidelman
Director of photography: Eric Moynier
Production designer: Kevin Kropp
Editor: Keiko Deguchi
Costume designer: Sarah Beers
Music: Marcelo Zarvos
Cast:
Harry: Joe Bologna
Lois: Dyan Cannon
Jack: Len Cariou
Sandy: Sally Kellerman
Donald: Michael Nouri
Anita Stern
Renee Taylor
Marilyn: Brenda Vaccaro
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