Finding a good movie for the seniors in your life to dig their teeth into is not as simple a task as you may think. There are, of course, movies (and indeed, entire channels on cable and satellite TV) that are dedicated to showing old movies, but where’s the fun in re-watching something you’ve seen already (and likely watching it over and over again on this channel)?
Some people like to think that seniors just want to watch what they’ve already seen, but more likely than not, they want to see something new, something exciting, something with a decent amount of story and maybe a bit of action to it, not to see the classics that they grew up with like Casablanca.
So what are some new movies that they may enjoy? Well, I have a few ideas that people tend to not think about, and they might be a great film for the next viewing day with your favorite senior or seniors.
UP
Yes, I’m talking about the Disney – PIXAR film. Hear me out before you judge too harshly. It’s a fantastic film that has a lot of amazing story elements to it, but the most important thing about it is the story.
UP is the story of an old man, Carl Frederickson (played by Ed Asner), whose wife, Ellie, has recently passed. His home is the last holdout in a neighborhood that is being bought up by a corporate entity with designs on some sort of development project. His home (and what it contains) is also, incidentally, the only thing he has left that reminds him of his wife.
He meets a small child who is a member of the ‘Wilderness Explorers’ (think Boy Scouts), and they end up going on a crazy adventure together that brings Carl face to face with his and Ellie’s hero, a famous adventurer.
It’s a great story of a connection being formed between a curmudgeonly elder man who just wants to be left alone (or so he says) and a young man who is absent a father figure in his life. And it’s honestly one of the better films that Disney – PIXAR have ever put out.
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby has been called one of the greatest stories of the last century, and it has been suggested that, from a scientific standpoint, it is the perfect book (though how you can have a scientific measurement of a form of art, which is inherently perceived through one’s own life experiences, is beyond me). It’s been made into a film at least once before, but not with a cast like the one it now has.
The new take on the story of the Great Gatsby stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Mr. Gatsby (he’s great), and that’s really all that needs to be said here. It’s a fantastic retelling of a story that pretty much everyone has had to read since it was first written, even though it’s a strange story of Americana, the nouveaux riche, and a series of coincidences set in the roaring twenties that should not be missed, and that can excite anyone of any age.
The Producers (either version, but the older is better)
Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel (in particular) make the fantastic comedic works of Mel Brooks come to life, but this one manages to not only be in the easy-on-the-eye hues of black and white cinema but also to work in some history as well.
In The Producers, Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom (Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, respectively) play as a pair trying to profit off of a Broadway show; Bialystock playing a titular producer, and Bloom, initially, playing the role of an accountant sent to run the books on Max Bialystock’s latest failure on Broadway.
It’s a story with jokes, hilarity, and the trademarked irreverence that made Mel Brooks so well beloved, and it can’t help but get a laugh out of an audience viewing it. The actors chosen for the play they put on are a treat, especially Lorenzo St. DuBois (whose friends call him ‘LSD’), and the whole thing simply cannot be missed.
So, if you’re looking to enjoy a film with an older relative, one that may be fun for all involved, here are just a few options to consider. I would really recommend just about anything done by Mel Brooks as a good film as well, but these three are the real winners, in my mind.