Young@Heart (2007)

A documentary on a chorus of senior citizens from Massachusetts who cover songs by Jimi Hendrix, Coldplay, Sonic Youth, and other unexpected musicians.

Directors:

Stephen Walker, Sally George

Stars:

Joe Benoit, Helen Boston, Louise Canady

10 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joe Benoit	...	Himself - aged 83
Helen Boston	...	Herself - aged 76
Louise Canady	...	Herself - aged 77
Elaine Fligman	...	Herself - aged 83
Jean Florio	...	Herself - aged 83
Len Fontaine	...	Himself - aged 86
Stan Goldman	...	Himself - aged 76
Jeanne Hatch	...	Herself - aged 79
Eileen Hall	...	Herself - aged 92
Donald Jones	...	Himself - aged 76
Fred Knittle	...	Himself - aged 80
Norma Landry	...	Herself - aged 78
John Larareo	...	Himself - aged 74
Patricia Larese	...	Herself - aged 75
Miriam Leader	...	Herself - aged 87

Storyline

Documents the true story of the final weeks of rehearsal for the Young at Heart Chorus in Northampton, MA, whose average age is 81, and many of whom must overcome health adversities to participate. Their music is unexpected, going against the stereotype of their age group, performing songs, for example, by James Brown, and Sonic Youth. Although they have toured Europe and sang for royalty, this account focuses on preparing new songs, not an easy endeavor, for a concert in their home town, which succeeds in spite of several real heart breaking events.

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Plot Keywords:

chorus | massachusetts | body part in title | ampersand in title | rock music | 

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Taglines:

You're Never Too Old To Rock.

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild language and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Channel 4 [UK] Fox Searchlight [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 May 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Young@Heart

Filming Locations:

Aerostat Promotions, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$50,937, 13 April 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,964,040, 21 September 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Walker George Films, Channel 4 Television Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Scenes in the "Golden Years" music video were filmed at two Massachusetts landmarks: the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round and Six Flags New England.

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Quotes

Stephen Walker: Just give me a second, yeah?
Eileen Hall: I'll give you whatever you want, dear.

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Crazy Credits

The end of the credits in the original European version of the movie featured a brief clip of Eileen Hall chatting with the production crew: "I feel sorry for you two - you with that camera and you with that thing, always bobbing up and down. Don't you get tired? Yeah, I bet you do." That clip was cut from the U.S. release and re-appeared as bonus material on the U.S. DVD release.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Street Kings/Chaos Theory/My Blueberry Nights/Smart People/Young @ Heart (2008)

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Soundtracks

Close Range
Written & Performed by Gavin Greenaway
Published by Directors Cuts Music Library

User Reviews

Fantastic Mix Of Humor, Sadness & Inspiration

It may sound like it, but this is no cliché: this movie will make you laugh and cry. It's true.

In a day with so much garbage being put out, this was a refreshing film to view - something true, too. It's a documentary about a group of old-timers (senior citizens, if you will) from Northampton, Mass., who tour and sing rock 'n roll. There is something absurd, outrageous, comical and entertaining about seeing an 89-year-old imitating James Brown and screaming, "I Feel Good!" What we witness in this two-hour documentary is both funny at times, but also sad. Hey, it's reality; life is hard, especially as you get older and older. Some of the members of this group die during the filming of it. The other men and women have to deal with these losses. "The show must on," as the old saying goes, but it's not easy.

The group sings rock standards and stuff that is pretty recent. It's hardly just Brown, the Ramones, Beatles, Bee Gees or Stones songs. It's also these old folks performing Sonic Youth, Coldplay, The Clash and the like.

Of all the members, one can't but be most impressed with the voice of Fred Knittle, who has to sit and sing while having an oxygen tank next to him. His voice is really, really good. Then there is 92-year-old and spunky Eileen Hall and then there six-time cancer patient Joe Benoit, probably the nicest man you'd ever meet. All the people here are interesting.

The more I watched this, the more respect I had for Bob Cilman, who directs this group. That man must have tremendous patience and a big, big heart for older people. It's frustrating when members keep forgetting their lines time and time again, but Bob presses on. He's called a "taskmaster" a few times but the group has great respect for him.

Director Steven Walker does a super job putting this film together, holding some shots and cutting others off just at the right spots so we get the full effect of the humor or drama of a particular situation. Your emotions will run the gamut watching this. The more sentimental you are, the more it will affect you.

If you have a sense of humor and compassion for people, this is one of the few movies I guarantee you will like.