Old Days

I saw this film recently at the Washington, D.C. Independent Film Festival in early March of 2009. It was featured in the Senior Moments session. Of all the films screened in that particular session, this one was my favorite.

In "Old Days", director Matthew Shapiro balances the lives of elderly in a retirement community by applying just enough cleverness, wit, satire and charm. All the actors are terrific, and some I've even seen in different films. I was surprised at how effective the writing was, because when the film first started, I had no idea it was gonna be a comedy (for the most part).

The way the script spoofs and compares the retirement home to a typical high school, where everyone eats together and hangs out in specific groups of archetypes and characters is well handled; I look forward to the next film from Shapiro.