Sunday, May 18, 2008

Jason watches "Young @ Heart"

Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. For example, who'd believe that the best movie of the year so far would be a documentary about octogenarian rock stars. Actually, the Young @ Heart Chorus isn't all in their 80's, that's just their average age. But it is a group of senior citizens who cover rock and roll songs.

Now that might sound like a joke, and the opening cover of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" (by 93 year old Eileen Hall with a thick British accent) does make the whole house laugh. But as a joke it couldn't fill either a concert or a 2 hour movie. By the time they honor Bob Salvini--a chorus member who had just passed away--with a rendition of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young", it didn't just bring tears to my eyes, it brought tears to the eyes of their audience--and this was a concert in a prison. There's just enough pathos in this movie--dying chorus members, medical problems, difficulties in rehearsal, etc. But the overall feeling is joy, as everyone soldiers on because they truly love it. And so do I. There's a part of me that can't wait to be 70 so I can join a senior citizen's rock band.

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