Young At Heart

Rating: 7
Genre: Documentary

This documentary is a look at the singing group Young At Heart. Young At Heart are a group made of elderly (70+) folks who tour Europe and America singing rock and roll songs. Their take on David Bowie, Talking Heads, The Clash, Coldplay, James Brown, etc. is both hilarious and poignant.

Lyrics tend take on a whole new meaning when delivered by this age group, and the gravity of impending and recent death of its members adds a weightiness and depth to songs while contrasting with the spirit they each have to live life to the fullest as long as they can.

The groups manager and song leader is a very determined, patient, and compassionate man named Bob Cilman. He keeps the group on track and pushes them for their best effort while maintaining a genuine caring attitude and thoughtfulness toward each of them.

The personalities of the members are funny and quaint, spunky and sad, somber and hopeful. I hope I am this full of thought when I am their age.

The highlight of the movie, for me, comes when the group performs at a local prison and conveys hope and relief to a group of men who society has forgotten. The prisoners’ mid-show tears and post-show hugs prove that their one-time lapse in judgment does not invalidate their humaness. One of the most inspiring pieces I’ve ever watched.

A couple segments in the movie were not that great, however, including the poor decision to go with Sonic Youth’s Schizophrenia, a song that contains the B word and did not seem very appropriate to sing to audiences that include children. Also, there were a few minor mentions of sex, which may be a reality in that age group but a reality that I don’t think I need to know about until I learn it for myself.

Overall, I liked this movie and agree with the movie's theme: singing youthful songs is a great way for old people to stay… young at heart.