Roommates

I personally found this to be a heartwarming and entertaining tale about a grandson and the grandfather who raised him spanning the course of 30 years. The two men love each other deep down, but clash often. Outside of their relationship other stuff happens. The grandson becomes a heart surgeon and has a family of his own while the grandfather meets various new friends and finds employment in a bakery at an old age, until illness forces him to retire. The roles of the two reverse and the grandson now finds himself caring for the grandfather who once cared for him when he was an orphaned boy. Definitely check this movie out and read the book but be warned it's a tear jerker that will tug at your heart strings.

This movie is all about Peter Falk, and what he's capable of when released from his Columbo role. Not that I have anything against Columbo -- it's one of the all-time great cop characters, along with Sgt. Friday and Sipowicz -- but in a police procedural we're mainly interested in what happens next, and any good director keeps that in mind. Here Falk gets to display the breadth and depth of his powers, and keeps us enthralled from the first scene to the last. He was "only" 68 when this film was released, but is convincingly aged during its course from something like 60 up to 107 (yes, really), which is a tribute not only to him but to the formidable makeup department (IMDb lists nine makeup credits). And just because grandfather is such an overpowering character, we shouldn't ignore the fine performances by D.B. Sweeney as his physician-grandson and Julianne Moore as the young social worker. In all, this is a moving story, well made and superbly acted. If you haven't seen it, do.

I find it hard to believe that there are only 16 reviews of this film & that of those 16 all but one is positive, yet this film has such a low rating. I like a lot of Peter Falk's work. I truly LOVE Columbo. It was a great show that is still watchable due to the acting of Falk & the stories. I think the reason I love this film so much is that the character of Rocky somehow reminds me of my own father (who is old enough to be my grandfather) Like Rocky, my father is gruff, stubborn, snores incessantly, & loves his family albeit rarely says it. He shows his love with his actions not his words. Now that I have a son of my own & have my father living with me I hope that one day my son will be able to appreciate this film as I do.

I must put in a word of defense for this excellent movie, which was sadly underrated by both critics and audiences. The true story - of a Polish baker in Pittsburgh who raised his orphaned grandson at the age of 70+ and put him through medical school - sounds like a formula for sentimentality and cliches. However, the movie transcends that to become a moving story of the strength of family, with many wonderful touches of humor. Peter Falk's portrayal of the irascible, curmudgeonly, and indomitable Rocky Holzcek dominates the movie. We are made to care about all the people portrayed (well, maybe not the mother-in-law). I don't understand the criticism about the movie "not having a story" to tie it together. The changing relationship of Rocky and his family as the years go by has plenty of elements of drama. This movie touched me deeply. It's a real sleeper. I do question why they had to change the family in the original from Jewish to Catholic, but evidently the author was onboard with it.

I am not much of a sappy movie kind of guy, but I for one LOVED this film. Peter Faulk performs splendidly. Although slow in a few parts, the storyline more than makes up for it as it shows the trials and tribulations of family separated and joined together by generational gaps. Julian Moore give a great performance and looks absolutely beautiful in this film, even though her character is not as in depth as the main characters. And DB Sweeny shows that he can have a softer side, as well as a wise cracking smooth talking side. It was a little bit of a stretch from what he is normally known for doing, but he pulled it off very well. Roommates is definitely going into my collection. I give this one 8/10. Bravo guys.