Young at Heart

April 25, 2008

Rated: PG Runtime: 107 min Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

There’s a movie in theaters right now about a bunch of old farts who get on stage and sing Rolling Stones songs. That movie is called SHINE A LIGHT, directed by Martin Scorcese, and actually features The Rolling Stones.

This is not that movie. YOUNG AT HEART (Also known as YOUNG@HEART) is a documentary about a New England choral group comprised of seniors citizens (Average age: 80) who sing a variety of contemporary songs in concert, including ones by The Talking Heads, The Ramones (”I wanna be sedated!”), Sonic Youth, James Brown, and yes, The Rolling Stones!

Directed by Stephen Walker, this was originally a BBC documentary, expanded to feature length. Bob Cilman, the director of the choral group, formed it in 1982 and it’s continued ever since, with various members.

The group has toured in Europe, although this movie follows the seven weeks preparing for a concert in their home town. Along the way they do a little Jailhouse Rock concert at a nearby prison.

Some songs give them a lot of trouble in rehearsal (”Schizophrenia” by Sonic Youth, and “Yes We Can Can” by The Pointer Sisters in particular), and there’s actually some suspense in whether or not they’ll be able to pull it off.

This is a funny and poignant film about not assuming you’re Too Old For That Kind Of Thing. One outspoken woman in the group is 92.

In some cases the members are fighting the clock, hoping their health permits them to be able to perform, or indeed, hoping that they’ll still be among the living come concert time.

This film is a delight, and there’s no other way to put it:

YOUNG@HEART ROCKS!

Posted by Mack Guffin | Filed Under 4 Stars, Documentary, Theatrical