Boynton Beach Club (2005)

Too much of everything

Thanks for the memories!

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Most of the reviewers here have rightfully stated that this is perhaps the ONLY movie made in the last 30 years about senior citizens in which they are not lampooned. That's true, to its credit. None of them so far though has called out the singular achievement of the film, and that is its very realistic and romantic treatment of Sally Kellerman and Len Cariou's night of passion. American audiences are extremely prejudiced against showing sexuality among its older population, as if it didn't exist. It does, and it does in this movie. Oh,and by the way: Sally Kellerman, at 68 years old, does nudity in the film, thus making her the most senior American actress ever to have done so. Brava, Sally!

I'm not sure anyone under the age of sixty will like this movie very much, but since I do not fall into that category, I really enjoyed it. The viewer is treated to some insight into the lives of active seniors living out their golden years in a fairy tale-like Florida community. Those of you who have never seen such a community in person may think that the filmmaker has pulled a Tim Burton and digitally created a Disney-like set for this film, but having lived in that area of Florida, I can assure you that there are beautiful places such as the community featured in which every color seems to be enhanced in some magical way.The movie stars a number of actors who have been in film most of their lives - some being sex symbols of the past. They show us through their considerable acting skills that they "still have it." Brenda Vaccaro plays the happy wife of a man who is killed by a careless driver at the very beginning of the film. The driver is played by Renée Taylor using her best yenta-like character - this one bronzed to extreme by the Florida sun. Taylor's character, at first, seems too comically over the top, but later in the film we get to see an example of her true acting talent. Vaccaro's character is shattered by the loss of her husband and is at loose ends because she never took part in any of the business affairs of their life. At first, I thought that this aspect was overdone because I doubted a woman of my age (sixty-one at this writing) would have been so unaware of the everyday business of a family. When I looked up Vaccaro, I found that she is actually sixty-seven - and looks damn good, I might add. Considering the society in which we grew up, those six years between us could have made for that difference in the role a wife might take in a family.Vaccaro's character is invited to join a bereavement group by a gregarious woman played by Dyan Cannon. Cannon, who just turned seventy in real life, is thin and energetic with - in my opinion - way too much face work. None-the-less, she creates a great character with a big heart. Her "take no prisoners" attitude toward life helps Vaccaro's character spring from her shell.Joseph Bologna plays the "lady killer" of the group who mentors recently widowed man thoughtfully played by Len Cariou. Cariou's character is a man who, apparently, has never cooked an egg, washed a dish, done a load of laundry. He is totally at loose ends. The art director managed to create another character for the film in Cariou's house. It is pink, pink, pink with touches of numerous other pastels. It is somewhat heartbreaking seeing this man who is definitely not a pastel sitting in this house created and run by his late wife. The picture shows us how lost and at loose ends he is.But never fear for, in the end, this is a feel-good movie, and Cariou's character is saved when the "good time girl" of the group (Sally Kellerman) takes a liking to him. Kellerman infuses her character with all the disappointment and hope possessed by a woman of her age, and is not afraid to expose her breasts to the camera, now sagging with age.One of my favorite parts in the film is when Bologna's character is telling Cariou's character about his experiences with women he has met. He says that he still thinks of himself as a young man, but eventually the reality occurs that he is an old man in bed with an old woman. He doesn't mourn this but just considers it a natural aspect of life - a life he is determined to live to its fullest until the end.I stated earlier that I consider this a feel-good movie. Some might disagree, because it concerns getting old and eventually dying, but for someone of my age, this film is a great shot of hope.

We must confess, right at the start, we went to see this movie reluctantly. Judging by the trailers we saw prior to going to watch it, we didn't have much expectation, but we can categorically say we had a marvelous time watching, and laughing out loud, at this wonderful Susan Seidelman's picture that really deserves to be seen by a wider audience.We are taken to that senior's paradise that is Florida. Unfortunately, the most careful planning doesn't include death, something that is a sad reality a few of the principals in the movie have to deal with. Most of the people that transfer to that state after their retirement buy all these fabulous places after being in the Northern parts of the country, running away from the cold and the harsh winters.Marilyn, a happily married woman, experiences the horror of her husband being killed by a careless selfish neighbor, who obviously has no remorse, other than tell her problems to her shrink. Marilyn has to start to learn how to live alone, something she has not counted on. We see her walking to the Bereavement Center by herself, since she has no license to drive, while perhaps a lot of her neighbors, in her possibly "gated community" zip by in their cars.Then there is Jack, a recent widower. He is a pathetic man who has relied on his wife Phyllis for everything. Without her, he is condemned to eating at the ubiquitous diners all over the place where seniors get discounts before a certain hour, perhaps before 5pm! When he meets the bold Sandy, he is doubtful he will ever again find love with another woman.Harry, on the other hand, is a party animal. In spite of thinking he is a sophisticated man, he falls for a woman he meets on line that turns out too good to be true. Lois, a youthful looking woman, is knocked out of her "boots" by the hunky Donald, a man that is not all he appears to be, but in the end, turns out to be the right man for Lois, and vice versa.Susan Seidelman supposedly based this film on personal experiences of relatives living in that environment. She adapted the material Florence Seidelman and David Cramer told her out of their own experiences into a film that bites deep into what how loneliness works when long time married people have to face an uncertain future. Even though it's a funny comedy, "Boynton Beach Bereavement Club" reveals under its glossy surface how hard it is to live in all these professionally decorated dream houses when a wife, or a husband is not around anymore. The surviving spouse must face that solitude head on.The director got excellent acting from her ensemble players. All do a marvelous job. Brenda Vaccaro, who has not been seen a lot lately, gets a great opportunity as Marilyn. As her friend, and confidant, Dyan Cannon is wonderful. Sally Kellerman, has a couple of great moments as Sandy, the woman who has not come clean to the new man in her life. Len Cariou, who appears as Jack, makes an impression, as does Joseph Bologna, the party animal. Michael Nouri is Donald, the man who is not who Lois thinks he is. Renee Taylor appears briefly in the film.Ms. Seidelman ought to be congratulated in the way she created all these characters that are real and reflect a section of the population that went through so much in their lives and when they thought the golden years were here to stay, must make a tremendous adjustment and learn to live again on their own.

We start all of our reviews with the following information. My wife and I have seen nearly 100 movies per year for the past 15 years. Recently, we were honored by receiving lifetime movie passes to any movie any time at no cost! So we can see whatever we want whenever we want. The point of this is that CRITICS count for ZERO. Your local critics or the national critics like Ebert are really no different than you or me. The only difference is that they get to write about the movie and are forced to see hundreds of movies whether they want to or not.Therefore, it is our belief that if you get your monies worth for two hours of enjoyment that is good enough for us! We NEVER EVER listen or read the critics. We only care about our friends and those who we know like the same things as us. Well enough about that.If you a Floridian as we are, the movie is simply a perfect representation of life in Southern Florida. A very poignant and sometimes funny movie with wonderful actors. If you 50+ you will love it.