While watching Diamonds, you'll probably feel a bittersweet combination of sadness and pride, but you won't be alone. Everyone will feel that way when watching an 83-year-old Kirk Douglas play in a movie where he used to be active and agile and now takes speech therapy lessons to stay sharp after a stroke. Now that we've gotten the sadness out of the way, let's get to the movie.
Using footage from an earlier Kirk Douglas movie, Champion, the audience is shown that Kirk's character used to be a successful boxer. He tells his son that after winning a fight years ago, he was paid in diamonds, and the jewels are still hidden in Las Vegas. Together, Kirk, his son Dan Aykroyd, and his grandson Corbin Allred, go on a road trip to find the diamonds. Rather than just a strict buddy-comedy, the film has an additional dramatic element to the story: Kirk and Dan have a bad father-son relationship, and despite his best efforts, history has repeated itself with Dan and Corbin. So, in between the jokes, there's some family drama to be worked out in the movie.
All in all, this is actually a pretty cute film, and if you feel you're up to watching a very old Kirk Douglas, I recommend you rent it and watch it with your dad, or whichever male family member you're on the outs with. And to the ladies out there, old Kirk's still got it! Just ask Lauren Bacall, who reunites with her costar after they acted together in 1950!
Using footage from an earlier Kirk Douglas movie, Champion, the audience is shown that Kirk's character used to be a successful boxer. He tells his son that after winning a fight years ago, he was paid in diamonds, and the jewels are still hidden in Las Vegas. Together, Kirk, his son Dan Aykroyd, and his grandson Corbin Allred, go on a road trip to find the diamonds. Rather than just a strict buddy-comedy, the film has an additional dramatic element to the story: Kirk and Dan have a bad father-son relationship, and despite his best efforts, history has repeated itself with Dan and Corbin. So, in between the jokes, there's some family drama to be worked out in the movie.
All in all, this is actually a pretty cute film, and if you feel you're up to watching a very old Kirk Douglas, I recommend you rent it and watch it with your dad, or whichever male family member you're on the outs with. And to the ladies out there, old Kirk's still got it! Just ask Lauren Bacall, who reunites with her costar after they acted together in 1950!