Life Itself

"I don't like our lives being in the hands of someone else." Alex (Freeman) and Ruth (Keaton) are getting ready to sell their apartment and begin a new chapter in their life. When they begin to show the space old feelings begin to come back. Now, between the visitors and looking for a new place, they start to remember the times they had together. First of all I have to say this movie was OK, but being 36, if I was about 30 years older I think I would have liked it more. The story is OK but this is a movie that resonates much more with an older crowd do due the subject matter. The acting is great and it was good but many of the subtleties were lost on me since I have never been through something like this. Overall, worth seeing but the older you are the more you will enjoy this. I give it a B-.

It is so refreshing to watch a film with a contemporary story that focuses on older people and their choices and strengths instead of seeing them act foolish or pathetic. Based on Jill Ciment's book as adapted for the screen by Charlie Peters and directed with straightforward good taste by Richard Loncraine, this quiet little film is a wonderful platform for tow of our most respected actors – 69 year old Diane Keaton and 78 year old Morgan Freeman – who create an irresistible chemistry. Briefly, long-time happily married couple Ruth and artist Alex Carver (Keaton and Freeman) who've spent their lives together in the same New York apartment become overwhelmed by personal and real estate-related issues when they plan to move away, having decided to cash in on their sought-after Brooklyn apartment. The story opens with one of the reasons they feel the need to move after 40 years in the '5 flights up' apartment with no elevator: their little dog Dorothy is having difficulty maneuvering the stairs and ends up with a slipped vertebral disc that requires a Vet's expertise and surgery. They engage Ruth's niece, real estate agent Lily (Cynthia Nixon, who is wonderfully, gushingly obnoxious) and the visits to the apartment begin – all manner of rather despicable lookie-loos traipse through and a decision must be made. Ruth and Alex find an apartment in Manhattan that is one the 9th floor and has an elevator, but issues arise that make them alter their initial decision. Beautifully understated is the fact that Ruth and Alex are childless, entered an interracial marriage when it was not fashionable to do so, and have grown old together making every day count. They are wonderful and the film does them justice. It is such a pleasure to see two seasoned and gifted actors make such an impressive statement. Recommended for all those who think happiness is dependent on social media based.

This movie would have been a lot better if the terrorist was actually a terrorist, something actually happened with the dog, or an apartment got sold. As it stands, nothing came to a close and it felt like listening to my great-grandma tell a story about her boring life that didn't even have a point. Unless you feel like wasting your evening, watch something else. The one positive thing I can add is that the acting was great, unfortunately the script sucked... I would like to see an alternate ending that includes the terrorist blowing up the store he was caught at, which would be located below the apartment the two old people were trying to sell!!! =D

I expected a quirky little movie here. The summary seemed to be something that would interest me. Boy was I wrong. So basically, an older couple is looking to sell their New York City (Brooklyn) apartment. Why? Well, because it has five flights of stairs and they are a little concerned about their health. OK. Reasonable enough. As far as I know, they have no other reason. They both do not particularly want to move, in fact they love their apartment. Right, so why are they moving? oh yea, the stairs. The movie continues by showing how the couple moved to the apartment over 40 years ago, it shows flashbacks of their earlier years and all the fond memories they have. But, you know, 5 flights of stairs. The have an annoying as hell real estate agent who has an open house in their apartment. For some reason, everyone, except a sweet little girl are a$$holes. Everyone. I'm not sure why they made it this way, but they were all jerks. I didn't get that. Unless that's how the general populous of NYC is considered? No idea. Never been there Then they start looking for a new apartment. They find one they like, even though they say nothing will ever be as good as our apartment (then why the f*^k are you moving?!!!). I was almost shouting at the TV about how idiotic this move is! It's all about two people moving, who don't want to move. And if you can't guess what happens in the end? let me just say that there is no point to this movie. None. Oh, and for some reason there's a dog who has surgery and a potential terrorist. Pass.

source: Life Itself

"I don't like our lives being in the hands of someone else." Alex (Freeman) and Ruth (Keaton) are getting ready to sell their apartment and begin a new chapter in their life. When they begin to show the space old feelings begin to come back. Now, between the visitors and looking for a new place, they start to remember the times they had together. First of all I have to say this movie was OK, but being 36, if I was about 30 years older I think I would have liked it more. The story is OK but this is a movie that resonates much more with an older crowd do due the subject matter. The acting is great and it was good but many of the subtleties were lost on me since I have never been through something like this. Overall, worth seeing but the older you are the more you will enjoy this. I give it a B-.

For me, this movie was not boring at all. Throughout the entire flick there is tons of quirky bits of humor that pretty much had me laughing almost to tears, especially from Morgan Freeman's character. It's not a flashy movie, it's just a very heartwarming story with lots of added humor. It also is not one that I could watch over and over again, but that being said, I will be keeping it for future watches. I would not say it's Morgan Freeman or Diane Keaton's best movie, as they have been in so many brilliant roles, but I will say this...you see more a more humorous side of Morgan Freeman in this than most of his other ones, which is genuinely nice to see! I was pleasantly surprised by this, especially given that it has some quite negative reviews, I actually bypassed it a few times due to that...my mistake!

"5 Flights up" is an easy-going film about an old married couple (Alex and Ruth) who came to the conclusion that after living in that part of Brooklyn for about 40 years, where they bought a cozy apartment, the time came to leave all this behind and find another place to live. For all sorts of reasons. First, the neighborhood is no longer as it was before and is engulfed by a younger generation. And also the lack of a lift became a daily obstacle for the house owner and their old dog. Eventually, they decide to sell their apartment and they leave this in the hands of a niece who knows the tricks in this business. And before they realize it, their apartment is occupied by potential buyers who can be divided into several categories: candidates who are determined to seize this unique opportunity with both hands, the yuppies who want to redesign the entire floor, the real estate tourists who just come their to watch television and eat some snacks and even someone who's always trying out the bed. Alex doesn't feel at home anymore, despite it's still his own apartment and it's not even sold yet. For the two protagonists alone, I necessarily wanted to see this movie. Not that I'm a big fan of Diana Keaton, who usually plays a corny, traditional mother in some romantic comedy where someone is getting married once again (a film such as "The Big Wedding"). Although I could appreciate her performance in "The Family Stone", even though she played again the mother hen. But "5 Flights up" was perfect for her. A serene and formal older woman who even in the most hectic and stressful situations, remains calm. She's hardened by the past when she made the decision to marry an Afro-American. Compared to that every setback is just peanuts. I was particularly curious about how Morgan Freeman would play his part. After a succession of meaningless roles in both brilliant films as soon-to-be-forgotten films, like "Olympus Has Fallen", "Oblivion", "Now you see me", "Last Vegas", "Transcendence", "Lucy" and "Last Knights", it was once again time for this brilliant actor to being featured in an entire movie. And he lived up to my expectations. Flawlessly he acquitted himself of his task : the spouse who's still in love with his wife after all these years, the cheerful artist who rather withdraws into his studio while strangers are wandering through his flat, the worried owner of a pet that needs medical assistance (no matter what it costs) and the resolute decision maker who ultimately decides about what's rightfully his. Formidable performance. Only the script is kind of dull to keep things interesting. Admittedly, the situations arising from the sale are frequently humorous and engaging. But a whole film just about selling an apartment with on the one hand the financial advantage and on the other hand a pile of memories that needs to be left behind, is still only limited material to work with. The message that this film conveys is that money can't replace nostalgic musings and feelings. A sunrise is nowhere the same and you'll have to forget certain habits and situations from the past. It's beautifully imaged with flashbacks that don't seem to be disturbing, with a touch of melancholy and sadness on top. A smile and a tear. But just as in real life, selling a house isn't particularly exciting and entertaining. That was for me the only downside of it all. But Freeman starring back again like this after a long time, made it bearable. More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

I don't ever want to see this movie again and I wanted it to end. This is an awful, boring, and predictable Hollywood corporate movie and a waste of good actors. The movie starts off with the typical product placement, mention of an Apple store then Keaton has the Apple computer with logo gleaming. The majority of the movie is stressful real estate dealings with unrealistic buyers and jargon which never ends. The couple's poor little 10 year old dog has to climb 5 flights of stairs every day because the owner would rather carry his coffee which causes the dogs back to go out and even after $10K+ surgery and a full recovery the stupid owner still carries his coffee and makes the dog climb the stairs... right. And then throw in the politically correct pro Muslim side story when the media labels the truck driver as a terrorist just because he abandoned his truck on the bridge. I have a re-write for this script: The vet doctor calls the SPCA and after investigating they take the dog away from the couple and fine the couple $50,000 which forces them to sell their place and after the lady and little girl buy their place the SPCA gives the little girl the dog and she carries it up the stairs every day and we never hear about the stupid bi-racial couple again. Oh and the truck driver turns out to be in the US illegally from Saudi Arabia and is using a false name and gets deported.

Positives: 1. Dialogue especially lines meant to be humorous or sarcastic (Freeman's lines) were the highlight of the film. 2. The buying and selling of an apartment in New York was insightful. At least those parts that might be accurate. Negatives: 1. The young girl (accompanies mom who is looking at the apt. Freeman is selling) and appears every so often in the film while also offering sage advice to Freeman, was expecting tea as a reward yet we never see her again. That's called a loose end. I would have had her and her mom moving into another vacant apartment in that building resulting in an intelligent relationship with Freeman & Keaton (Freeman's wife). 2. Too many of the buyers/sellers were characterized as a bit too greedy, self centered or off centered for me. 3. Most importantly the script had Freeman and Keaton dissing their agent at the end (treating like trash as they turned their backs while walking away) after their last second changing of minds on selling. Particularly disconcerting given the tremendous amount of work that agent put into the sales preparation with her only compensation to be the sales commission. 4. Wasn't sure how anything was added by having a supposed terrorist; their dog in the hospital; their flashbacks; Freeman's paintings, to, what might have been, a more intelligent story.