![]() ![]() Both actors seem to be having a good time, and seeing the two men on screen together is quite pleasing. Yep, Captain Kirk from STAR TREK and Doc Brown from BACK TO THE FUTURE are the senior citizen buddies living it up. See, Victor is played by William Shatner and Sal by Christopher Lloyd. Director Giorgio Serafini is working from a script by co-writers Kurt Brungardt and Christopher Momenee, and the first thing viewers must overcome is the casting. Some might call it cliché or even pathetic, but Victor and his lifelong pal Sal Spinelli are enjoying life. He's in his 70's and still enjoys ogling beautiful younger women and zipping around Palm Springs in his vintage Porsche convertible. even former test pilots - although some of them might be a bit less inclined to adapt. Making concessions to age is something all of us deal with. ![]() There's nothing profound to be gained here, but at least it's a safe bet for your entertainment time and money. Smart plays a very contemporary woman, strong and certain of her standards and aspirations, helping to make the film fresh and current. ![]() That either means at 90 he's more lucid than 50, or so, years ago or he's become a better actor, who no longer needs such gimmicks. Shatner forgoes the long mid-sentence pauses he made (in)famous as Star Trek's Captain Kirk. The scenery of Palm Springs and its environs are used to good advantage. Scenes in a retirement home are free of cheap gags at the occupants' expense. The supporting cast contributes well all around. There's less need to suspend disbelief here than usual for the genre. But screen writers Kurt Brungardt and Christopher Momenee make the journey entertaining, while director Giorgio Serafini runs the table in a crisp 92 minutes. You can fill in the rest of where they'll wind up on your own. Along the way, he meets a free-spirited, age-appropriate baker (Smart) for whom he develops an uncharacteristic attraction. The rest of the film follows his efforts to regain both with the help of several friends. ![]() For him, that's the equivalent of a gelding. Unfortunately, he does so once too often, costing him possession of his car and drivers license. He drives rather sportily, if not recklessly, as part of his charm. Shatner is a former jet pilot, who chases skirts ardently, propping up his appeal with his Porsche convertible. Mercifully, this script resists the temptations of schmaltz and gives us a relatively believable story, set in a California desert city, mainly full of retirees. If a Walter Matthau character could reel in an Ann-Margret, as he did in Grumpy Old Men, hope remains alive for them and the old dudes who buy tickets. I suppose the tradition arose from old white male studio heads, who lived their own fantasies vicariously via the screening room. Such connections develop even without the geriatric gent having enough money or fame to provide incentive. One common trope is for a hot, much younger woman to fall for a man old enough to be at least her father. The anxiety comes from decades of such films turning out to be mush that can be downed without dentures, as the seniors become caricatures in absurd situations. The cast is headed by three actors whose work I've enjoyed many times - William Shatner, Christopher Lloyd and Jean Smart. I approached this rom-com among the elderly with great trepidation. ![]()
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