'Young at Heart' heartbreaking entertainment
By Nick Knittel, Contributor
May 31, 2008 | 8 p.m.
"Young At Heart" paints a portrait of a world so earnest that it almost feels like another reality altogether -- one that wears its heart proudly on its sleeve and where youth is without bounds.
Perhaps that is why it is such a difficult film to examine and critique. Director Stephen Walker paints the canvas with such a huge amount of sentimentality that it’s hard to think of anything bad to say about the film because it would be like making fun of your own grandparents. Not that there is much to say negatively -- aside from a couple sticky points in pacing, the film remains grounded in its charm. Perhaps that comes from the disarmingly magnetic Walker, who seems to be just as fascinated with his subjects as we are, but it also has a great deal to do with the members of the Young at Heart Chorus themselves.
The Young At Heart Chorus is the film’s focus, a group of senior citizens between the ages of 70-93 along with their director, Bob Cilman. The hook is that the chorus specializes in covers from such groups as The Clash, Radiohead, Bob Dylan and many others. The group is known around the world and frequently tours. The film examines seven weeks with the group, culminating in a tear-jerking show in the group’s hometown of Northampton, Mass.
This is one of those films that somebody on “The Morning Show” typically calls a “heartwarming, feel-good movie” and, despite the unbearable stigma attached to the phrase “feel-good movie," there really is no better way to say it. "Young at Heart" is wrought with emotion, bouncing from joyful to heartbreaking in every scene, especially as it begins to come clear the show in Northampton is less an event than a tribute to the group's fallen members. Death is, of course, a pervading theme, and throughout the film this becomes painfully obvious as a few members become ill. While most get better, others do not.
The group struggles throughout to learn several new songs for the show, including Sonic Youth’s “Schizophrenia” and Coldplay’s “Fix You," and much of the action takes place in the rehearsal rooms as well as the open road, as Bob Cilman attempts to coerce a handful of old members into appearing on stage for one last hurrah.
The members are spunky, energetic and mirror Cilman’s own desire to prove that youth doesn’t die quite so easily. It is in that moment that director Stephen Walker really hits his stride. His pervasive narration cuts out near the end and, for a time, we get to see the chorus examining themselves and their music. It’s a strong portrait of age in general -- one that extends beyond the love of music into something much deeper and much stronger.
“Young At Heart” has been making the lists of several critics around the country, and its earnest story is one that can capture the mind of anyone with a desire to see something joyful and deeply human. If nothing else, seeing two creakily old people worm their way through James Brown’s “I Feel Good” is worth the price of admission alone.
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“Young At Heart”
Speakeasy Rating: A
Running Time: 107 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG for mild language, thematic elements and lots of old people.