Young@Heart DVD: Review By Dodd

Sometimes as a young person I may take life for granted. In fact I'm sure many of us can recall instances in which we sweat the small stuff. It is not abnormal or wrong, but the reality of it is that after such fretting our youth is gone before we know it. And what do we have to say except, "I should have stopped, taken a breath, and cherished every minute of that bad day." Life is a funny thing and a lot of this has to do with aging. Do we really hit a stopping point at old age, or can well still sip every moment like a glass of fine wine? Sometimes I admittedly see old age as a guaranteed bleak phase, but then there are films like Young @ Heart which come along and serve as a reminder of the short time we really do have in our lifetimes. So enough of this Hallmark card introduction bullsh*t. The doc*mentary Young @ Heart is manipulative, heart-warming, and teaches a valuable lesson, and I bought it hook, line, and sinker.

The film is a doc*mentary from director Stephen Walker and his subjects are the Young at Heart Chorus. The average age of the chorus is 80 as numerous senior citizens come together to sing their lungs out. The unusual selling point about the group that merits them having a doc*mentary made about them is that they do not sing the martini lounge ditties from the old days. They do quite the opposite and sing songs subgenres such as classic rock, alternative, and punk. Their artist palate includes Coldplay, The Ramones, and James Brown.

The doc*mentary focuses on the group in 2006 as they meet for rehearsals with their longtime chorus leader Bob Cilman. As imagined with a group of seniors used jazz and older fare, it takes time and effort to get these optimistic singers to adapt to the contemporary genres and learn the songs. This includes the multiple "can's" in the song "Yes We Can" and the lyrics of "I Got You". What is even a more difficult hurdle to overcome is the state of health with the group. With the oldest member being 92 year-old Eileen Hall, there is concern as to how many members can push themselves and which ones are too feeble. This is especially so for visiting former chorus members Bob Salvini and Fred Krittle, who originally quit the choir based on their doctors' advice.

When I first saw the trailers for Young @ Heart I was turned off by the marketing strategy. The trailer was building up the doc*mentary as a delightful and poignant little piece from the "makers" (aka the studio) of Little Miss Sunshine. I saw the film as an ideal candidate for video viewing. Now that I finally saw it on DVD, I can say that it is the tear-jerking and enjoyable film that the advertisements claimed it would be. The doc*mentary has its moments of natural comedy since watching the elderly react to alternative rock music is guaranteed to be touching. But I found that the film evoked more tears of sadness than more tears of joy. The fact that we spend so much time getting to know these older-aged free spirits makes it even more difficult to handle when some of them encounter fatal illnesses while on their path to performing the big show.

Director Stephen Walker has a very hands-on approach to making the film. While he rarely makes himself present in front of the camera, he does provide a jovial narration that is utilized during timely moments in the movie. His editing captures the most crucial moments for the chorus members prior to the performance. For comic relief, he even specially films music video interludes featuring the cast members signing "Sedated" and "Staying Alive". The most effective aspect of the film has to be the time spent with its characters. We really do get to know who these people are and understand the bond that they have formed together. We come to love the firecracker remarks of the group's eldest member Eileen, or sympathize with cancer victim Joe and heart disease victim Fred. This is precisely why I related to the singers when they were forced to tell themselves "The show must go on" despite the tragedy that sometimes befalls their group.

The extras are unfortunately minimal. There is a featurette at only five minutes long and follows the group before a live performance. We get their occasional reactions to the film and how it is impacted the chorus. There are also deleted scenes.

The film is in widescreen format and follows the standard doc*mentary format seen in recent releases. It is a combination of "fly-on-the-wall" observation and testimonials.

5.1 Dolby Surround. I am not sure if you prefer Chris Martin singing Coldplay's "Fix You", or an older gentleman, but your surround system will bring it on either way.

I received a screener disc in a flimsy envelope. So how is the case based on my viewing experience? Crappy.

Young @ Heart is a movie I didn't want to like, but knew I would enjoy once I brought myself to viewing it. Every now and then it is nice to see a film that demonstrates how life does not have to slow down once we hit age of lima beans and oatmeal. The group portrayed here is in high spirit, and by the time I did witness their final concert, it managed to bring tears to my eyes, particularly with Coldplay's "Fix You". This is a touching doc*mentary that I would recommend to any age group, and I highly suggest the rental.

dodd@movieweb.com