A few weeks ago, I spied a headline stating that the oldest Americans are also the happiest. I didn't read the article to see exactly why this is, but I suspect that "Young @ Heart" provides at least a partial answer. In this smile-inducing documentary, we see a group of retirees between the ages of 73 and 92 getting together a few times a week to sing songs they don't know and bond with each other in a way most of us without excessive free time can't conceive of.
Bob Cilman is the the leader of the Young at Hear chorus of Northampton, MA. He is a stern but sympathetic taskmaster who once a year gives the choir new songs to learn--mostly R&B and soul classics from the '60's through the early '70's, and punk & new wave tunes from the mid-'70's to the present. At first this seems funny and weird. The film plays off of this expectation by opening with the oldest choir member doing a deadpan rendition of the Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go", and including a tongue-in-cheek video of the choir's version of the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated".
Although most of the songs the choir performs are over-familiar to those of us under 60, the choir members grew up before the dawn of the classic rock era, and aren't familiar with music created after 1959. Their tastes in music range from classical to show tunes, not R&B or punk. But they participate not only for the camaraderie, but to keep their minds limber in their old age. They know as well as anyone that it gets harder to learn the older one gets, and after about 55 or so it becomes impossible unless one acquires good mental habits, such as doing puzzles, journal-writing, or trying to sing songs one doesn't really know. And this is why Cilman chooses the songs he does. The R&B tunes (which the choir members love) are rhythmically complex, but have simple lyrics. And the punk tunes (which the choir members hate) have complex lyrics, but simple rhythms and melodies.
The main focus of the film is the choir's trying to learn three new songs: "Yes We Can" by Allen Toussaint, "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown, and "Schizophrenia" by Sonic Youth. But the emotional core of the film is their learning of a fourth song--"Fix You" by Coldplay--after the deaths of two choir members (a third member died during post-production).
I laughed, cried, and smiled throughout the whole film. And it was a bit jolting to know that in just a few years, the thought of old people singing rock music won't be such a novelty. After all, their repertoire include Allen Toussaint, James Brown, and the Jefferson Airplane--all of whom were born seventy or more years ago. The only bits I didn't like are where director Stephen Walker tries to get a laugh at the expense of the choir: He flirts with a 92-year-old woman and sneers at the driving skills of one of the few choir members who still has his own car.
But overall, this is a tribute to the power of music and friendship to transcend age, infirmity and even mortality to make the end of life worth living. 9 out of 10.
Bob Cilman is the the leader of the Young at Hear chorus of Northampton, MA. He is a stern but sympathetic taskmaster who once a year gives the choir new songs to learn--mostly R&B and soul classics from the '60's through the early '70's, and punk & new wave tunes from the mid-'70's to the present. At first this seems funny and weird. The film plays off of this expectation by opening with the oldest choir member doing a deadpan rendition of the Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go", and including a tongue-in-cheek video of the choir's version of the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated".
Although most of the songs the choir performs are over-familiar to those of us under 60, the choir members grew up before the dawn of the classic rock era, and aren't familiar with music created after 1959. Their tastes in music range from classical to show tunes, not R&B or punk. But they participate not only for the camaraderie, but to keep their minds limber in their old age. They know as well as anyone that it gets harder to learn the older one gets, and after about 55 or so it becomes impossible unless one acquires good mental habits, such as doing puzzles, journal-writing, or trying to sing songs one doesn't really know. And this is why Cilman chooses the songs he does. The R&B tunes (which the choir members love) are rhythmically complex, but have simple lyrics. And the punk tunes (which the choir members hate) have complex lyrics, but simple rhythms and melodies.
The main focus of the film is the choir's trying to learn three new songs: "Yes We Can" by Allen Toussaint, "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown, and "Schizophrenia" by Sonic Youth. But the emotional core of the film is their learning of a fourth song--"Fix You" by Coldplay--after the deaths of two choir members (a third member died during post-production).
I laughed, cried, and smiled throughout the whole film. And it was a bit jolting to know that in just a few years, the thought of old people singing rock music won't be such a novelty. After all, their repertoire include Allen Toussaint, James Brown, and the Jefferson Airplane--all of whom were born seventy or more years ago. The only bits I didn't like are where director Stephen Walker tries to get a laugh at the expense of the choir: He flirts with a 92-year-old woman and sneers at the driving skills of one of the few choir members who still has his own car.
But overall, this is a tribute to the power of music and friendship to transcend age, infirmity and even mortality to make the end of life worth living. 9 out of 10.