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.
