Thursday Movie Picks: Movies for Seniors/Elderly

 

In the 50th week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We go into the subject of movies for seniors/the elderly as it is clear that they see movies as well yet not a lot of films have been made for or about them. Fortunately, there are people who understand the concept of respect their elders as a reminder that young people are going to grow old too. Here are my three picks:

1. Tough Guys

What happens when a couple of gangsters get released from prison after a 30-year sentence to deal with a new world that is the 80s? Well, if you’re Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas who have to take shit from a bunch of dumbass young people, new rules, and being pursued by Eli Wallach over a contract. You just don’t take shit from anyone as it’s a fun comedy where Douglas and Lancaster prove they not only still got it but also do it with charm and wit with Wallach also managing to steal a few moments as it’s just a fun comedy featuring legends.

2. Out to Sea

From the often-underappreciated Martha Coolidge comes a buddy comedy starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon about two friends who go on a cruise ship only to realize they’re working as dance hosts to avoid paying for the expensive tickets. It is a light-hearted and charming comedy that has Matthau and Lemmon play off of each other yet it’s the ensemble that adds to the film’s charm that includes Dyan Cannon, Gloria DeHaven, Rue McClanahan, Estelle Harris, Brent Spiner as the sniveling cruise director, Elaine Stritch, and Donald O’Connor where there is a great scene of O’Connor and Stritch having a little dance-off.

3. Nebraska

Alexander Payne’s 2013 drama about an old man walking to Nebraska in his belief that he’s won millions of dollars is probably one of his best films. Notably as it is sort of a road movie through the state of Nebraska as it features a career-defining performance from Bruce Dern as well as a hilarious supporting performance from June Squibb as Dern’s wife. It is a film that is quite somber as it plays more into a man wanting to leave behind something for his two adult sons as well as dealing with family issues from relatives and those who bear a grudge towards Dern’s character for all of the wrong reasons. Yet, it is still a hopeful film and one where it does show a man trying to maintain some dignity and tell everyone else who wronged him to go fuck themselves.

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