Boynton Beach Club (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Call it 'Cocoon' sans ... the cocoon. 'Boynton Beach Club' is a cute dramedy directed by Susan Seidelman. Lois, Harry, Marilyn, Sandy & Jack live in a retirement community in sunny Boynton Beach, Florida. This story shows how their lives intersect when they meet at a bereavement club. Hoping to find emotional support, some are surprised by their capacity to heal, rebound, & contemplate romance, once again. This feel-good film goes down easy. Both the comedy and the drama are light & breezy. The problem is, it's as episodic & bland as a 1/2 hour sitcom. So as time went on, I looked at my watch with realization that ... yes, this charming film was actually going to extend more than a perfunctory 30 minutes.
Marilyn (Brenda Vacarro) is grieving the unexpected loss of her husband (he's killed carelessly by a car backing out of a neighbor's driveway). Against her will, she's introduced to the Boynton Beach Bereavement Club by a free spirit, Lois (Dyan Cannon). She's the club's social director, so it's her job to be good at rounding people up. Lois' life starts to change when she begins dating a younger man, Donald. Meanwhile, Harry (Joseph Bologna) helps newly widowed Jack (Len Cariou) to learn how to cook & to woo the ladies. Jack misses his wife of 40 yrs. and wants nothing of a new romance, but he knows that he can't be a hermit, either. Harry sees himself as a ladies' man. But his confidence is humbled when an internet date leaves him in an incredibly embarrassing situation. Luckily for Jack, he learns that life doesn't stop when he gets some female assistance from Sandy (Sally Kellerman), a sweet, confident woman who is lovingly patient with his sexual hesitance. But Sandy is mysterious and may have a questionable past. None of these people see themselves as old, which helps the cheeky plot.
There are some fairly humorous (but obviously geriatric) moments: One character struggles with Viagra. Some dildos emerge from one character's boudoir. Eager females come knocking on males doors, trying to tempt them with their homemade dishes, etc. Aside from the forced comedy, there ARE some truly touching moments and some clear insight into true geriatric dilemmas. It's interesting to see how these characters cope, and put their lives (and families) back together. And after stifling her emotions for a long period of time, Marilyn is finally able to confront the selfish neighbor (Renee Taylor) who ran over her husband. That scene shows us that, yes, we (marginally) care about these senior citizens by the end of the film.
Vaccaro is wonderfully solemn as Marilyn. Cannon is witty, vivacious, & comfortable as Lois. Kellerman is believable & brave (she appears topless in one poignant scene). And the male actors lend enough old-school elegance to their roles. I just liked how the older generation is authentically portrayed here. Seidelman captures the goings-on of the elderly fairly well. And it's great to see (once again) this plethora of 1960s, 70s & 80s celebrities who had since gone into hiding. The problem is that it's a little nothing of a film; it has that made-for-TV feel. Some spicy things are thrown-in to distinguish it as a motion picture, but those spicy moments are quite cliche & overly calculated. It meanders towards the end. I wasn't overly engaged. But it IS well-meaning & sweet-natured enough to check out.
Marilyn (Brenda Vacarro) is grieving the unexpected loss of her husband (he's killed carelessly by a car backing out of a neighbor's driveway). Against her will, she's introduced to the Boynton Beach Bereavement Club by a free spirit, Lois (Dyan Cannon). She's the club's social director, so it's her job to be good at rounding people up. Lois' life starts to change when she begins dating a younger man, Donald. Meanwhile, Harry (Joseph Bologna) helps newly widowed Jack (Len Cariou) to learn how to cook & to woo the ladies. Jack misses his wife of 40 yrs. and wants nothing of a new romance, but he knows that he can't be a hermit, either. Harry sees himself as a ladies' man. But his confidence is humbled when an internet date leaves him in an incredibly embarrassing situation. Luckily for Jack, he learns that life doesn't stop when he gets some female assistance from Sandy (Sally Kellerman), a sweet, confident woman who is lovingly patient with his sexual hesitance. But Sandy is mysterious and may have a questionable past. None of these people see themselves as old, which helps the cheeky plot.
There are some fairly humorous (but obviously geriatric) moments: One character struggles with Viagra. Some dildos emerge from one character's boudoir. Eager females come knocking on males doors, trying to tempt them with their homemade dishes, etc. Aside from the forced comedy, there ARE some truly touching moments and some clear insight into true geriatric dilemmas. It's interesting to see how these characters cope, and put their lives (and families) back together. And after stifling her emotions for a long period of time, Marilyn is finally able to confront the selfish neighbor (Renee Taylor) who ran over her husband. That scene shows us that, yes, we (marginally) care about these senior citizens by the end of the film.
Vaccaro is wonderfully solemn as Marilyn. Cannon is witty, vivacious, & comfortable as Lois. Kellerman is believable & brave (she appears topless in one poignant scene). And the male actors lend enough old-school elegance to their roles. I just liked how the older generation is authentically portrayed here. Seidelman captures the goings-on of the elderly fairly well. And it's great to see (once again) this plethora of 1960s, 70s & 80s celebrities who had since gone into hiding. The problem is that it's a little nothing of a film; it has that made-for-TV feel. Some spicy things are thrown-in to distinguish it as a motion picture, but those spicy moments are quite cliche & overly calculated. It meanders towards the end. I wasn't overly engaged. But it IS well-meaning & sweet-natured enough to check out.