I'll See You in My Dreams

I've noticed some of you commenting on the fact that Hazel the dog is referred to as a male. Guess what? Hazel is a boy dog. It is quite evident, early on, that Hazel is a male. Hence why the vet refers to him using male pronouns. Why he is he called Hazel is anyone's guess. Nice to see Max Gail as one of the speed daters. This genre is not typically my favourite, but I had to go simply to see Blythe and Sam pairing up. For me, I doubt it will eave a lasting impression, however it was an entertaining and heartfelt story of seniors - and we need to see our generation represented more accurately and passionately in film. I've always loved Blythe Danner, she is an actor that conveys much physical and emotional depth. I hope to see her in more and more roles.

Blythe Danner, Sam Elliot and an interesting supporting cast - how bad could it be? The worst!! The story is pointless - a widowed woman of 20 years just ambling though life with her best friend - her dog. Sounds sweet - until it dies in the first few scenes. Think you're depressed - this film is just getting going. She develops a strange friendship with the pool boy, another aimless soul who has no idea what he's doing in life, so they make a good pair. It's uncomfortable because of their huge age difference and you're just not sure where this 'relationship' is going. She has some friends who encourage her to date and she finally ends up meeting someone she likes in her age bracket. It's Sam Elliot, endlessly chomping on an unlit cigar, but somehow she still finds him attractive. They sleep together after the third date, voila - he ends up dying. Her somewhat estranged daughter visits at this time and watches her be really sad. Mind you - there is no humor in this film. It just slogs along and teaches you what? That life sucks and then you die - but maybe before that you can enjoy time with your dog. I truly want to know how this film got made.

But I got to admit, I did not know she had it in the first place. Blythe Danner for me is usually recognized as the very attractive significant other when older actors want to pretend on screen that they are interested in age appropriate women. But Danner is a very sexy, charming woman and she gets to show all of this in her leading role in this film. It's a strangely realistic look at what romance looks like in those golden years with Sam Elliot as Danner's love interest, a man who proves he still got the heat himself at his advanced aged. Also liked seeing Rhea Perlman in the flick as one of Danner's aging friends in the movie. She plays a woman living in a senor citizens home, which I found hard to swallow. She showed far too much energy on the screen. It's a good romantic comedy for any age but a lot more than what it's sold to be. For the most part, it's about a woman who's just going through a mood and this can happy to anyone at any age. Recommend.

... is old age. Even though it is the most powerful movie villain of them all and takes many of our favorite actors away before their time. This film is mainly for fans of Ms. Danner. Wait. Let me explain. Usually when a reviewer makes such a comment it is a negative. No it is not. That is this reviewer's heartfelt view and it is a fair one. As a film, as a movie competing with 100s of 1000s of other movies for pride of place in the minds of viewers present and future, this film is simply OK. It is a fairly well-paced and fairly authentic look at the oddities and awkwardness of growing old (a topic of acquired taste UNLESS YOU ALREADY ARE OLD) and holds up really well until the last 30 minutes when the writer simply can no longer control himself, and a lot of strange and improbable and non-authentic things suddenly start to happen. But as a vehicle for Ms. Danner's fans, it is a joy. For those with short memories, Ms. Danner brought a certain light and energy and beauty to her many films and frankly she was missed. Another IMDb reviewer perhaps sums it up better than we do -- "she is in every scene" the reviewer said, and the message was clear. Meanwhile that aforementioned silent villain moves on. For students of film -- and of Life -- there is a short scene with Max Gail. Not only was he a major TV star in his day, but he was considered so macho that they used him for shaving commercials (which requires EXTRA testosterone.) I did not recognize him at all.

If you're expecting a really cool romantic story between the two leads, you might as well have stayed home. Blythe and Sam have two dates and then he ends up as a cigar memento on her mantelpiece. There's a few mild laughs (very mild). The rest of the story is depressing and/or boring. The best part went to Blythe's pool guy...he has more time in the movie than poor Sam. I wonder why Sam Elliot agreed to be in this movie at all? He'd have been better off sticking with advertisements for the Ford F-150 or whatever truck it is he's pushing these days. I was so disappointed with this movie...a real nothing of a movie. 4 Big Yawns

Good, simple, often funny movie concerned with the serious subject of just what is left of value in a life that is much closer to the end than to the beginning, and what we might do with that remaining value. Blythe Danner, June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, Mary Kay Place, Sam Elliott, and Martin Starr are the leads, with Danner the star as Carol, a widow living out her very comfortable but ordinary L.A. days at home, except for her bridge and golf games with her 3 funny buddies at the local retirement center. Then, first came a personal loss, then came an odd but valued friendship with her young pool cleaner, then a loss that truly moved her to change the way she saw and lived life. The director kept things light and not too serious about the issues with aging until that loss that changed things forever for Carol, temporarily at first, but permanently later, as she then became more accepting of doing things with more meaning and friendly human relationships in her remaining years. Sad in spots, funny in most, but always meaningful, with sound advice for all of us as we age. What I took away from this story was that we all need to spend serious time reviewing our lives when we get to Carol's age, and question if we are using our limited time wisely and in our own best interests, and then make the right changes. We owe that to ourselves, and to our friends and loved ones. Just like Carol. In that way, the story was like a good friend.

The funniest & best scenes of the movie were all in the trailer & early in the movie. I kept waiting for the movie to get better but it never did. We learn more about Bill the dead husband than we do Bill the new love interest. There was hardly any interaction between Carol & Bill that would indicate why he was so taken with her that he mentioned marriage after 2 dates. Hardly any conversation. Why did they connect? And then after he died, we never heard anything. She told her friends she went to the funeral & Bill had a lot of friends. Why didn't we see that scene? The movie also wasted a lot of time with Carol & then Lloyd singing. I love Sam Elliot, so I was really sorry this wasn't as good a movie as I thought it would be. I gave it two stars cuz there were a few laughs.

Carol Petersen (Blythe Danner) is a widow of 20 years and a retired singer in a band. She has a simple life and her circle of friends (June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, Mary Kay Place). They want her to move into the retirement community. Her dog dies of old age. She starts a friendship with the new pool guy Lloyd (Martin Starr). He's a poet graduate and living with his mother. Bill (Sam Elliott) is the new love in Carol's life. Her daughter Katherine (Malin Akerman) comes for a visit. A high June Squibb is hilarious. This is a rather light easy story. Blythe Danner is incredible. She encompasses every part of this movie. Her internal struggles even before she has them are all very effective. It's a quietly powerful performance.

Carol Peterson, played by Blythe Danner, is a widow in her 60s or early 70s living in Southern California with no one but her dog for close company. Her daughter has moved away; her husband has been gone for 20 years; and she spends most of her time watching TV, playing golf and bridge, and drinking wine. Over a short period, her life livens up considerably and she meets new people, does new things, and moves towards unwrapping the cocoon of age that's been winding about her. That's the plot. This movie isn't as much about plot as it is examining life in our time. When did you stop looking ahead? When did you start spending too much time reviewing your life? When do you stop forming relationships? How do you continue with your life while enduring the blows life hands you? These are questions we must all deal with at some time or another. I think this movie handles these questions more honestly that most Hollywood films. The movie is very well acted by terrific talent in the form of Danner, June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, Mary Kay Place, Sam Elliott, and Martin Starr. You should recognize most or all of these names if you watch movies and TV. It's a very, very accomplished cast. Although this movie isn't strictly a comedy, Danner, Squibb, Perlman, and Place all get in their comedy licks like they've been doing it all their lives, which they have. Worth seeing. Opening soon. We saw this movie through the San Jose Camera Cinema Club.

So I'm in my 40s and visit family in their 70s at retirement homes often. Much of this seems very honest. Some details seem so true and well observed. Like the connection Bill and Carol made over "So What." Also the trips taken together and the pets. I've often wished I had writing talent so I could bring this world to life myself. It's a lot like college dorms, except it's the elderly. I loved Bill saying he was social and was living there because he wanted to be near people, but he still liked the stillness on his boat sometimes, and not trying hard to fish... so much like someone in my own family. But the star was the "pool poet" guy Lloyd. Who doesn't know someone like that? Lost and vulnerable, they either annoy you or endear you, depending on how much soul you have. There were two points that seemed not quite real to me, one was the policeman, he didn't seem to be acting real. I'm not sure if there is some local law about shopping carts but if there is, then it made it unbelievable for the rest of the country. As a child I briefly lived in Socal, and I remember not having a car during that time and my mom and I walked home with a shopping cart full of food a couple of times. We took it back, it struck me as really unbelievable, but who knows what local laws have come up since then. The other not quite real point was that Carol didn't seem unsure how to bring up the boyfriend to her daughter. I realize it was 20 years ago that her husband died, but kids have funny ideas and I think she might have asked her daughter what she thought of her dating first before blurting it out that she was dating someone. A half real point was the way the women talked. It was too "guy" for me. Women are more supportive and when they pick on each other, they are more "fake supportive" in order to deliver barbs. Guy talk is more directly sniping. The dialog was funny, definitely funny, but for realism, you might sit in some cafés or Barnes and nobles when there is a "book club" meeting, and listen in on conversations among women, there's a lot more of the pat on the back stuff going on. Barbs are in the extreme minority. Might not make for such a fun movie though, I admit. Ultimately, I thought the details in the movie were so good, sometimes I wondered if I was watching a Woody Allen movie. I came over here afterward to see what other movies the writers had done and was amazed that the director and writer looks much younger than me. This is a very deep and well done movie, a well observed slice of life. Thank you so much for this film, I rarely enjoy movies this much anymore.