The Impossible Years

College psychiatry professor David Niven (as Jonathan Kingsley) and wife Lola Albright (as Alice) are shocked when beautiful 17-year-old daughter Cristina Ferrare (as Linda) is arrested at a campus protest. She is charged with disturbing the peace, inciting to riot, resisting arrest, and unlawful assembly on university property. Ms. Ferrare is also caught carrying a picket sign with an unsavory word written on its backside. She claims to have never turned the sign around to see the naughty word - an impossible plot detail, unless she's lying. Ferrare also smokes cigarettes, gets caught speeding, and keeps a messy room.

"The Impossible Years" comes across like it's daring to fight "the sexual revolution" along the "generation gap" front. But, like many 1960s sex comedies, nothing really untoward actually happens. It's a smoke and mirrors story with a good cast - including highly likable supporting TV stars Chad Everett and Ozzie Nelson. Near legendary photographer William Daniels and director Michael Gordon do a good job with the limited sets. Since Mr. Gordon is the grandfather of accomplished actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, you've got to wonder if, eventually, everyone in movies will be proved related.

The "picket sign" title sequence is nicely done, and features a catchy title song sung by The Cowsills. The tune was finally released on the underrated group's 1994 CD reissue of their first LP "The Cowsills"; previously, "The Impossible Years" was hidden away on a 45 RPM B-side. After the opening, you can stick around for beautiful bikini-clad Ferrare and her young friends. The comedy is dated, innocent, and not so funny, except for an occasional line; it's interesting to hear "I'm glad they passed Medicare!" was once a way to irk the family doctor.

***** The Impossible Years (9/13/68) Michael Gordon ~ David Niven, Cristina Ferrare, Lola Albright, Chad Everett

If memory is a testament to value then this is a really valued and fun movie for me. It was 1968 and I was 9 years old and I remember this movie well. Me and my friends went to the movies every Saturday and I saw this movie 5 times and enjoyed it every time. I loved Christina Ferrare (what a sweetheart),and her little sister Abby reading "Fanny Hill" I had no idea who that was but it sure upset the parents and lets face it, kids challenging old ideas with with free speech issues is what helps keep freedom alive. This movie may have seemed like a superficial romp yet it actually touched upon some very relevant issues and was a beautiful vignette of those times. It had spirit. It had heart and it was a lot of fun. It also brought out the humorous side to some tough issues, something that was needed in those days, and lets face it who couldn't love "smuts".

As those who have read my reviews on his films before, David Niven carried more mediocre films on the strength of his charm than any other leading man I know. In this case he had something of a built in advance sale on a role, as The Impossible Years had a respectable two year run of 640 performances on Broadway. Would you believe that Alan King played the role on Broadway and I'm sure the interpretation was vastly different. In fact I'm sure King had to reach for his conception as part and parcel of his standup comedy routine was his experiences in suburbia as the father of two teenage sons which he was in real life.

The unflappable Niven plays a psychologist who has written on the subject of teens, but in his own life he and wife Lola Albright are having no better or worse time than thousands of others raising adolescents. Daughters Christina Ferrare and Darleen Carr are driving both of them to the edge. Especially the 17 year old Ferrare who has a lot of young males in heat buzzing around her. And one of them has rounded home and scored.

The play had to have been a bit more realistic to have enjoyed the run it did. The Code was down, but obviously this was being marketed to a family audience and a lot of it just didn't make sense. Most of all Ferrare's choice of male partner.

The Impossible Years is just plain impossible.

If you're looking for a film which aspires to be "high art" or convey "deep meaning", forget it..."The Impossible Years" is a lightweight romp with David Niven, Lola Albright, Chad Everett, etc. that will make you laugh, giggle, and smile. It's an hour and 45 minutes of escapist fare that will make you forget about your troubles for a while. Not everyone will appreciate the slapstick humor here, but I sure did! Much in the same vain as the Beach Blanket and Gidget films of the time. This movie won't win any Academy Awards for high-brow acting or directing, but then, I don't think it was ever intended to be a deep message film. Just pure fun!!!

Okay,so this movie wasn't really that good to some people,but I for one liked it.A father who is a doctor(?) has two daughters:Abby who is the youngest and Linda who is the oldest(and has the raging libido).Yes,it's boyfriend after boyfriend for Linda,and her parents watch her wondering why their daughter jumps from one boyfriend to the next.It isn't until later when she moves out of the house and gets married,only to see her father trying to find out who her spouse really is.There is a favorite scene of mine where the Linda's parents are having a party and her boyfriend brings in a portrait of her that he painted.And when he shows the family and guests,it's revealed to be a nude portrait,in which Linda didn't know!The rating is bad though.It acts more like a PG-13 movie than a G rated movie.Believe me.This is NOT something you wanna watch with your parents!