Lovely, Still

source: Lovely, Still

I never thought of this in such a way. I can only assume this is how life truly is for a person under these circumstances. Totally unexpected. A little slow in places but I loved it. I bawled like a baby.

Other reviews speak to the story's surprises quite well, and I agree that the acting by the four key players is superb. What makes this film more special than its twists and performances is the fact that it explores love among elderly people without being demeaning, and without sentimentalizing them into goofy old codgers. Landau conveys an excitement for romance that anyone of any age can relate to, and Burstyn is just so convincing in her role, which is more demanding than it first seems. Hollywood tends to make old men horny and vulgar, with old women being prudish and celibate, while this fine indie production is able to bring out many nuances within these complex, venerable lovebirds. Just BE PATIENT if you become frustrated with the lack of character development. I found this frustrating at first, but there are important reasons-- both within the story and in terms of how society treats the elderly-- why we do not learn much "background information" about these characters. Hollywood movies about the elderly go to great lengths to have old characters tell stories about their younger days, and to explain how they came to be the cranky or corny curmudgeons they are today. This movie lets you spend some time simply appreciating the unexpected romance between two deserving people. And as a Christmas movie, I think anyone past childhood would like this. In fact, anyone who does not like this movie is probably not yet dealing with adulthood.

Spoiler alert to some degree. I have many reasons to attend, watch and work on a wide variety of productions but feel that a warning should be given when you watch a Christmas film to get a shot of glitter and Christmas spirit and end up watching a film that is designed to depress. There are many deep meaningful films.They are very important and help people both understand and work though issues that they have encountered in there lives. They also educate and help the the ignorant understand how these problems effect those immersed in these issues. I have been on both sides but when wanting to have that hot chocolate feeling this film wont even switch the kettle on let alone open the cocoa.

I came across this gem of a film on cable by accident and was taken by its beauty, sensitivity, and honesty. It is a realistic portrait of a loving family coping with "the long good-bye" of Alzheimers, of a wife trying keep the connection between her and her husband alive even if the wiring is faulty, of a man among people who care yet is still traveling alone down the road to oblivion. Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn are fantastic. I knew from the beginning that something was off in the storyline, but the end revelation caught me by surprise anyway. A "must-see" for anyone caring for a loved one with this devastating disease. My mother had Alzheimers and our only consolation was that she passed away before she stopped recognizing my father.

I rarely do this, recommend a bad film. But I will ask if you start this, that you see it through. The film takes advantage of the fact that we have a profoundly well developed notion of a movie romance. We have that here: older woman moves in and that same day asks the old man across the street for a date. They hit it off and have a wonderful Christmas a couple days later. He is a lonely bagger at the local grocery store, and apparently has never had a Christmas with another soul. In the first scene, we see him wrapping a present to himself. For the first very long section, we are dipped in movie love, as we not only see the romance but we see it with an excess of cinematic sugar: when she says she likes him, the entire street lights up with Christmas lights behind her, for instance. There is lots of snow and gauzy happiness. In the filmmaker's defense, we are given some hints that things are not quite right. Our fellow has nightmares of unformed nature. Our love interest across the street is panicked when a prescription goes awry. Our fellow seems to occasionally get confused and borderline violent. And then after an immersion in the sickly romance as perceived by our guy, we have a big reveal. He has advanced dementia. The woman and her daughter across the street is his family and has been for decades, but he has forgotten. He fell in love with his wife all over again. The store where he works is a business he built, now managed by a quirky guy we discover is his son. His wife has been sneaking in every day and preparing meals, drugs (the problem prescription was his) and reminder post-its. This is a pretty disturbing shift, in part because it is so unexpected. Any filmmaker who would stoop as low as we had experienced for an hour, milking the cheapest of tricks would be expected to coast home on those alone. But it does recast what we have seen (and been somewhat affected by) as the last kind of story that a disappearing mind can hold on to. And that is something even the most talent filmmakers fail with much of the time. Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

What a pleasant surprise "Lovely Still" turned out to be! The story centres around two firsts for an elderly man, played exceptionally well by Martin Landau. The flick plays out as a nice-but-ordinary love story enhanced by the work of Ellen Burstyn until near the end. Then all hell breaks loose as memory lapses and renewed recollections arise with Robert, Landau's character. This portrayal is so realistic that you are a part of the film, having the scenes imprinted on you as if you are there. I don't understand why "Lovely Still" is not listed as an important film under either Landau's nor Burstyn's listings on the IMDb listings. Young Nik Fackler did wonderful work as writer and director. For years I've watched movies and read reviews here. This is the first time I've been moved to put down praise. Bravo!

I watched this on Netflix Instant streaming - because I have enjoyed all 4 lead players in the past. Ellen Burstyn was completely amazing, as usual. Martin Landau, once again did a stellar job and both Adam Scott and Elizabeth Banks were absolutely at their respective bests! Beyond the fantastic acting, the story grabbed me immediately. My only frustration with the story was that I wanted better character development, I wanted to know more about both Mary and Robert's past. If you're feeling this way, stick with it, you'll be happy you did. As another reviewer here said, watch it twice. You'll pick up so much that you didn't quite "get" the first time you watched it. I couldn't have enjoyed this movie more and kudos to all involved!!

I have to say that I was prepared to really like this film, since it was shot in Omaha by a native Omahan, and it's true the actors were wonderful. The story, however, is more in M. Night Shyamalan's territory. Through the whole film you're watching one story, and then at the end you're switched to a completely different direction that renders what you've watched nonsense. While this type of setup was extremely effective in "The Sixth Sense," it is not meant for this kind of film. Sweet and tender it is not. I felt disgust by what was done to Martin Landau's character, and couldn't believe a wife would perpetrate this on a husband she supposedly loves. I was fully expecting a haunting of some kind from the choppy earlier part of the film, and it had a creepy feeling through most of it, so the end came as a double shock. Definitely not for everyone.

Fortunately, I saw the preview recently in Tokyo. That was great. You should see this. When you see the press conference (Q & A) after the Toronto Film Festival, you can understand that the actors (Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn and etc) and the young director Nicholas Fackler trusted entirely each other. The actors were fascinated by Nik's talent. They realized his genius potentials into the marvelous work. I was amazed at how such a young (at age of of 23) "student" could have directed this excellent movie. Therefore, it is too bad that this movie is, so far, ignored by major studios and distributors in the US.