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Synopsis:
As early as autumn 2006, surreal and hilarious video clips
of Stephen Walker's documentary (which originally aired on
the BBC) were making the rounds on YouTube and in email
inboxes all over the U.S.
tantalizing, out-of-context glimpses of the Young@Heart
vocal choir, composed of elderly men and women, having a go
at chestnuts by Sonic Youth, the Clash, and the Ramones. It
seemed that the feature film, re-released for the screen in
2008, would perhaps be an uncomfortably comic look at a
bunch of geezers set up to look ridiculous for the smug
delectation of hipster audiences everywhere. The reality is
not so far off-base, at least on first glance, but Walker's
film, tracking the progress of the chorus as they prepare
for a big gig, provides enough good-natured humor, personal
narrative, and intimate details to inspire respect and
admiration - and some major heart-string-plucking - in
filmgoers. Viewers witness the blossoming of long-buried or
completely latent musical talents in the elderly folks;
learning the new, unfamiliar material, under the direction
of irascible 50-something conductor Bob Cilman, keeps their
neurons firing and their emotions kindled, while communing
with and trusting each other staves off the isolating
effects of old age, even as they cope with heartbreaking
losses within their ranks. It is undeniably funny to watch
them struggle with the more challenging punk, classic rock,
and soul songs as their leader kvetches wearily, but Walker
skillfully ensures that, by the end of the film, we are
laughing with the intrepid Young@Hearters, and not at them.
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