Really more a filmed theatrical staging for PBS, than a true film per se, this two- hander is solidly acted by Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore.
They play two very different types in an old age home: the extroverted, gregarious, but also somewhat volatile and misanthropic Weller and the introverted, prim Fonisa form a friendship over games of gin, which she has an uncanny knack for winning, even though she is a complete novice to the game.
In this production at least, the play feels sweet, funny, well written and occasionally touching, but also a bit familiar. And the characters' secrets aren't very surprising given the build up to their reveals.
But that said it can often invoke a smile, and the ending was surprisingly touching without resorting to the obvious or unsubtle.
While I didn't see the original production starring Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, and directed by Mike Nichols, certainly the reviews I could find make it sound like a darker, more disturbing approach to the play and the characters, which I could imagine giving the whole thing more heft and power. While this never turned 'cute' it threatened to at moments.
But in the end, it was still fun to see these two excellent old pros go at it, and I was never bored or less than interested.
