PopSmart

Opening Friday, Young@Heart (reviewed here) takes a can’t-miss subject for a nonfiction film. The Young@Heart Chorus is a senior citizen singing group with a global following, an average age of 80 and a penchant for incongruous contemporary pop songs from the likes of Sonic Youth and The Clash. Feisty but dignified, the chorus members make inherently lovable heroes in the documentary, but at times director Stephen Walker seems to lean towards laughing at them, rather than laughing with them. Particularly in the film’s music video segments, like this clip of the chorus singing The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated,” the incongruity becomes too knowingly ironic for my comfort level:

Disclaimer: Though representative of the film’s video interludes, the majority of Young@Heart takes a more straightforward approach, and such numbers as the live performance of Coldplay’s “Fix You” can be truly transcendent.

Posted in Film, Humor, Internet | Leave a comment