REJOICE IN THY YOUTH
“YOUNG @ HEART”
Directed by Stephen Walker 
Featuring: Bob Cilman, Stan Goldman, Eileen Hall, Fred Knittle, Joe Benoit, Bob Salvini

Young @ Heart is yet another sterling example of a documentary that puts to shame most Hollywood movies in terms of an appealing story line, original characters, and yes, even heart.  As with last year’s King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, I was left shaking my head with delight during the movie thinking, You just can’t make this stuff up.  A movie about a chorus of octogenarians that sing the songs of Coldplay, The Clash, The Ramones, James Brown, and Sonic Youth? This could’ve been a folly in more ways than one, but like its ageless protagonists, Young @ Heart keeps beating the odds and turns out to be one of the best films of the young year.

The film follows the chorus as they prepare and rehearse over a six-week period for a two-act concert in their hometown of Northampton, MA.  Bob Cilman, the martinet of a leader, tries to whip his senior citizens into vocal shape including getting them to learn several new songs, a daunting proposition for seasoned professionals, but even moreso when you’re dealing with a group whose average age is 81.  The minds and bodies aren’t always willing even if the spirits are.  This provides British filmmaker Stephen Walker with plenty of material, most of it filled with humor, some of it filled with drama (Will they learn the songs in time?). 

As the film unwinds, we get to know most of the chorus members who leave an indelible impression.  Eileen Hall, the oldest member of the group, had me hooked from the start with her spirited interpretation of The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” Stan Goldman faces a big obstacle trying to learn just a few lines of James Brown’s “I Feel Good”.  Joe Benoit has the best memory of the group, having no problem memorizing lyrics in record time; he’s also one of the group’s most fragile members having survived numerous bouts of cancer which has taken its toll on him.  Fred Knittle, himself suffering from congestive heart failure, attempts to stage a comeback with the group; Fred is one of the most lovable members, witty and self-deprecating with a quip about his life which he has zero regrets about. 

As the concert date looms closer, so does a dark shadow that hangs over the group. Death is always around the corner waiting to pluck off one of the group; part of the suspense of watching Young @ Heart doesn’t just swirl around the learning of lyrics, but just sheer survival.  It’s not a mystery or revelation to reveal that not all of the group makes it to the finale, and part of what makes the film so powerful and moving is the added pathos given to the music.  When Fred Knittles solos on Coldplay’s Fix You (originally staged as a duet), he’s talking about his former singing partner but he could be talking about the audience as well.  It’s a lovely moment that is honest and emotional without feeling manipulative. 

One minor quibble.  Director Stephen Walker inserts himself into the proceedings at odd times and though his rather dry British humor is welcome, his lumbering presence on-camera isn’t.  It feels out of place and too Michael Moore-ish.  Walker is wise to focus on the group’s personalities and their ongoing struggles with life as well as lyrics.  That’s where the true drama, humor, and heart lies.

A trip to a penitentiary, where the group performs a dress rehearsal for the concert, shows that even the most hardened of men know a good thing when they see (and hear) it.  The reaction shots of the prisoners, at first filled with chuckling disbelief soon turn to tears as the group sings about one of their fallen comrades.  With sequences like this and its dazzling array of unique personalities, Young @ Heart proves that, yes, everything old truly is new again.