There are movies that withstand the test of time and then there are movies that don't. This movie is in the latter category. When first released in 1970 tastes were somewhat different, the problems of the frail elderly were perhaps less discussed and certainly were not on the front burner of our collective consciousness. So, not surprisingly, the movie was well received, hailed as a hilarious comedy and George Segal and the rest of the cast were accorded much praise for their performances. Yet there is little that one can find funny about this movie today. Not that the characters in and of themselves aren't funny, they are. It's just that it's hard to laugh at a story in which the behavior of a frail elderly senile woman is treated as a subject for humor. Okay, the son is frustrated and overwhelmed but is that really funny? It's not campy. Anyone who has had to care for an aging relative knows that humor is not part of the package. Maybe it was in 1970 but not now. It's too big of a problem and effects too many families.
Review of Where's Poppa?
