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Plot:
Prepare to be entertained by the inspiring individuals of Young@Heart, a New England senior citizens chorus that has delighted audiences worldwide with their covers of songs by everyone from The Clash...( read more 
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Meet Other Fans
Recent Reviews
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MCT:October 10, 2008
This enjoyable and inspiring documentary can make the viewers smile and cry, but one thing that the YOUNG AT HEART choir gives is hope to all younger people who are afraid about the idea of aging.
Another important element is the music. The maestro of the choir did a fantastic work in keeping the elders focus in the music which do not correspond to their generation. From Sonic Youth to James Brown, they all give their best in each and every songs. Get your kleenex when they get to Coldplay's FIX YOU!
Overall, this documentary is really charming, plus it gives us youngsters a positive side of getting old. -
MCT:October 7, 2008Uplifting, moving and inspiring. This documentary chronicles the Young at Heart Chorus as they rehearse and prepare for sold out performances all over the world. I found myself laughing and crying at the same time. Never has growing old looked like so much fun.
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MCT:October 1, 2008
A funny and touching doc about a senior citizens chorus in England. The subjects are so lovable that I felt chills up my spine from emotions.
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MCT:October 1, 2008
I thought this was a bit slow to get going, and my first impressions were that of gimmick and exploitation. Despite a slight overuse of material intended to get the audience laughing "at" the characters, I found myself laughing "with" the characters after witnessing their spunk, charisma, and charm. As the film progresses, we get some very touching moments and scenes that are executed brilliantly. The scene where the "Young at Heart" chorus performed at the prison really won me over for this movie. These scenes coupled with a fascinating and admirable study of the relationship between the music director, Bob Cilman, and his cohorts made for a worthy documentary.
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MCT:September 29, 2008You know that cliche "You'll laugh, you'll cry"? Well, this is it. It's refreshing to watch a documentary every once in a while that just celebrates life, and this one does just that, literally. It's so great! Highly recommended!
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MCT:September 19, 2008
This was such an adorable movie I had to watch it twice. I think this movie is a great date movie for young and old couples (made my dad hug my mom after watching it) and it has a really great message. Life is only gonna be as fun as you make it... so live while you have the strength to.
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MCT:September 18, 2008
This really was just a great documentary.
Icouldn;t stop laughing or tearing up.
The men and women in the chorus all had just great personalities and so much zest for life that it was inspiring, and although sometimes sad, I think I never went too long before that smile returned to my face.
Found myself wishing that my grandmother had something like this while she was still alive, because I know she would have loved it.
Everyone should see this! -
MCT:September 16, 2008
The very premise of "Young@Heart" could make anybody smile, and it's shown with great enthusiasm as the group tears down the house after two months of hard work at the end of the movie. On the surface, this is a film about a whole bunch of cute old people who are in over their head trying to learn songs like "Schizophrenia" by Sonic Youth - which proves to be extremely difficult to comprehend for people who only adore opera and classical music. However, this is a film about companionship and faith, and it's startling and ironic in it's blatant and sometimes brutal honesty. One of the most beautiful, sad, and memorable moments in a documentary i've ever seen was when an old man sings a solo rendition of "Fix You" by Coldplay after his friend had passed away.
Young@Heart is a chorus group of people between the ages of 70 and 93. The only thing old about these people is their outside, however. When we meet Eileen Hall, a flirtatious and lively 91-year-old woman, we realize that these people are simply nothing more than rock stars. The group is led by Bob Cilman, who can be extremely harsh but ultimately loves and cares for all the members of his group. Magically, we see Cilman whip this group of old people into shape to perform renditions of "I Feel Good" by James Brown and "Yes We Can Can" by Allen Toussaint live in front of a sell-out crowd. And before we get to the final show (which all rock and roll movies end on), there's another extremely charming and touching performance put on for prisoners. The group arrives to the prison in a yellow school bus, which certainly is more than truthful as it regards the spirit of these people.
Young@Heart works so well because the characters are irresistible. The film is under two hours, but we feel like we get to know all of them. I also very much liked that they weren't limited to cute old people in over their heads, but at times they were under serious grief and stress. A few of these people readily admit that singing takes away the creaking bones and back pains, and in moments like that it completely humanizes the group into a large number of characters we root for, grieve for, and admire.
It's not much of a spoiler to say that atleast one of the group members does not make it until the end of the film. A lot of the film's drama is based around whether or not a certain member will be able to perform due to their declining health. Death is handled in a way that's very mature and it doesn't exploit the pain that the group goes through. We see a few moments of grief and see an absolute downpour of emotion during "Fix You" at the end, but ultimately the focus of the movie is the music and the fact that the group will always go on.
What's especially interesting in regards to death is how almost all of the songs Young@Heart performs can be taken very literally into quite ironic and morbid songs about their age. Take "Should I Stay or Should I Go", for instance. When sung by a 91-year-old woman, it instantly becomes a song about a woman pondering her longevity on the planet. "I Wanna Be Sedated" turns into a song about the familiar hospitals and misery that lies within them. Their comedy is lively and vibrant, but you understand that it's really ultimately very dark. They're almost poking fun at themselves, yet they never let their smile leave their faces.
Throughout the film we get a glimpse at several surrealist music videos from the band. These are a very welcome break from the repetition of problems with health and band rehearsal, and they're bound to make you smile. These folks are just having a blast and living up the last years of their lives more than most of us allow ourselves to throughout the entirety of it. When prisoners cry, smile, and passionately hug and kiss members of the group - you realize that these people truly are remarkably special.
I can't recall a documentary ever moving me as much as this one did. While a topic like this is bound to blatantly tug at the heart strings, it's still surprisingly effective and not overly-melodramatic in the slightest. This is one of the most charming and sweet movies i've seen this year, and the two hours was an absolute roller coaster of emotions. I loved this movie so much. -
MCT:June 23, 2008
"When your not smiling and laughing, you're crying. Young @ Heart is a rare treat that doesn't come around often. A feel good movie that actually makes you feel good after it's over. These people you are watching cast such an impression on you, you can't walk out of the theater without vowing to never take life for granted and enjoy every single moment of it."
Review coming soon -
MCT:June 14, 2008oh i almost for got I saw this. This movie was pretty good. It is kind of a gimmic, but it's awesome.
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MCT:June 13, 2008
One of those rare features that found me both laughing and crying on multiple occasions. The richness of this documentary turns very much around the process of dying, while living. The character's baffling and often upbeat stoicism was an authentic and childish delight, for everyone involved. The will to live at its most distilled breaks out into song!
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MCT:May 29, 2008
One of the most adorable films I have seen in a while. This documentary is about a senior citizen chorus group who sing classic rock n roll songs, and set the example that your never too old to give up on the joys of life. I do admit that I cried while watching this kinda corny film, but if you have a heart, its hard to resist.
In Theaters (Hillcrest Cinemas) -
MCT:May 17, 2008
This movie is both heart warming and heart breaking. It was a wonderful movie from start and finish and had a pretty few laughs in it. I loved the music videos throughout the movie, they were both fun and funny. Defentially a movie to check out sometime.
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MCT:May 17, 2008
Wonderful documentary about an elderly choral group that does various interpretations of rock and punk songs from the likes of the Ramones, Sonic Youth, the Clash and David Bowie. The most cynical of cynics would have a hard time not being affected by this alternately hilarious and heartbreaking account of these people's lives. One of 2008's best films.
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MCT:May 13, 2008A bunch of kind-faced old farts singing rock, pop, and soul music? It looks quirky, yet charming. I can't wait 'til I get a chance to see this.
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MCT:May 12, 2008
Certainly was not expecting to have my heartstrings tugged by a "documentary." We were basically following these people and their rehearsals for a concert for 7 weeks, falling in love with them. Superb blend of humor, anxious moments, and downright teary-eyed sadness. Loved the music videos sprinkled in and the concert finale was wonderful. Bob Silman is a saint for directing this entertaining bunch of senior citizens.
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MCT:May 7, 2008
click for review
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MCT:April 28, 2008
From the moment I saw the trailer for this, I knew it was going to be charming. I'm not usually one for documentaries, but what's not to love about old people singing rock songs, if you just think about the comedic possibilities?
I wasn't disappointed; from its opening minutes, showing an older lady wailing and speak-singing The Clash's ("The Crash?") "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?", Young@Heart is irresistible and irrepressibly optimistic, even through moments of mourning. I guess this is a spoiler, so don't read to the end of this passage if you're not prepared to, but what can you expect with a movie about very, very old people except that there's going to be death? I cried and cried and cried every time there was a reference to one of the two deaths in the movie, especially during the touching solo rendition of Coldplay's "Fix You," but this isn't a sad movie. Far from it.
There are moments of poignancy, and these aren't glossed over at all - rather, the camera lingers and gives the subjects some time to breathe rather than hurrying along to the next happy moment. I think especially of wonderful Joe Benoit, my favourite person in the whole doc, whose lovely smile barely wavers even as he sits alone in the frame with an IV in his arm.
Still, as I said, it's not a sad movie, just a sensitive one. There are so many moments of laughter, as you might expect from observing a bunch of 80-year-olds trying to scream like James Brown or strut about while singing "Stayin' Alive," and of course, when the doc takes time to let us see these people beyond their roles in the choir, as lovers, comedians, regular patrons at your local diner. You never get the sense that the filmmaker is trying to manipulate your emotions (even though you know this isn't all there is), but rather, you simply see a group of wonderful, funny people who get annoyed and tired and sick and sad and flirty even though by all norms, they're at the end of their roads.
There are a few weaknesses, of course: Bob Cilman, the choir's director, is given very little attention despite his screen time, as we learn very little about him and how he got involved in this, how he feels about these people. We get a glimpse of it when he talks to them on the phone, and you can tell that he's worried about these seniors, but still, we learn little about him. As well, the camerawork is not spectacular, and the grainy quality certainly doesn't add to the experience.
But oh, what a lovely movie this is, and it gives me hope that the end of life can be as joyful and beautiful as the beginning. These old people have such wondrous exuberance, and it's impossible to remain unmoved in the face of such scenes as Lenny zipping down the road in a rickety old car, or Eleanor flirting with the camera crew, or Dora dancing joyfully in the back of the chorus practice room. Or, on the flip side, watching Fred watch the Coldplay music video by himself in a darkened room, or looking at Joe's lovely smiling face in the Young@Heart poster being pinned up in a diner.
Wonderful and life-affirming. -
MCT:April 22, 2008
Truly inspirational.
I never once saw defeat, exhaustion, or any sort of negativity through the entire film. Keep pushing forth towards the goal. -
MCT:April 15, 2008
Absolutely wonderful movie. And we had the opportunity to met a few of the members of the group as well as the director. This was the opening film at this years Philadelphia Film Festival.
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MCT:April 9, 2008
not quite the 'stand up and cheer' fest as promised, but it was a pretty good watch. i'd see it again.
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MCT:March 20, 2008
Most winning when the director isn't instructing viewers on how to feel about these people and the triumph and tragedy in their lives.
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Young at Heart (Young@Heart) Recent Reviews
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Comments
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markclarno1posted 5 days ago
