Youth in Oregon

Sensitive depiction of an aging and ailing family patriarch whose wish to choose when he will die brings troubled family relationships to a head. The film is deftly propelled by the tension created around whether the old man will get his wish and be euthanized in Oregon. During the cross country road trip Ray, the old guy, sees his troubled family and small pleasures with new eyes. Painful, riveting, true to life, brilliant.

Greetings again from the darkness. This is one of those tough little indie movies that would fit right in at most film festivals. Directed by Joel David Moore and written by Andrew Eisen, the film has a few exceptional scenes, yet once it's over, it's pretty easy to just leave it behind. That shouldn't happen with a story dealing with a theme of death with dignity. Shouldn't there be a desire to talk about the issue, or at least spend some time in thought?

Perhaps the reason this one isn't the gut-punch we expect is that while the central reason for the story is 80 year old Ray's (Frank Langella) desire to end life on his terms, the vast majority of screen time is devoted to the exceptionally dysfunctional family that surrounds him. It's not an "issue" movie, and dysfunctional family movies are about as common as superhero movies these days … we've become a bit numb.

Ray and his wife Estelle (Mary Kay Place) are living with their daughter Kate (Christina Applegate), her husband Brian (Billy Crudup) and Kate and Brian's teenage daughter Annie (Nicola Peltz). It's a crowded house where emotions run high, voices are usually amped to 11, and Kate and Brian's marriage is stressed to the limit with responsibilities.

Bad news at the doctor's office leads Ray to the crucial decision on his future. He announces this while giving the most uncomfortable birthday speech ever at dinner that evening … "I want to die." It's a terrific scene and each person's reaction is priceless – to the point where we almost wish it were in slow motion so as not to miss anything.

Typically poor teenage judgment by daughter Annie means mother Kate stays at home for discipline, while Brian reluctantly agrees to drive Ray cross country to Oregon to find out if he qualifies under the mercy killing law. Estelle and her always present booze come along for the ride, but it's mostly the strained relationship between Ray and Brian that generate the fireworks. Along the way, they add Ray's estranged gay son Danny (Josh Lucas), as well as Brian's angry college age son Nick (Alex Shaffer). Once they reach Oregon, another wonderful scene/sequence occurs as Ray meets up with a longtime friend who has made the same decision. It's a well handled and well acted portion of the story.

Ray's decision to hide his medical diagnosis from the family is the source of the most recent conflict, but there's a history in this family. Isn't that always the case? A lack of communication often causes even more issues than too much honesty. The abundance of dysfunction can't be offset by some peaceful bird-watching, and all of the frustration and anger prevents the necessary conversations on the more interesting topic … a reason to live vs. a desire to die. A slight re-focus would have taken more advantage of the terrific performance of Langella, and added some fun to the post movie discussion.

I agree with some of the points other reviewers have made, but I wanted to offer an opinion from inside the subject matter of the film. Has a member of your family chosen to die by their own hand because they face the rest of their lives in an ill and endlessly declining body? Or do you currently know someone who is now, or has been, terribly ill and now faces an unknown quantity of time on Earth with a seriously altered body that no longer looks or functions normally? From both of these perspectives, I watched this film, hoping to see something with which I could identify. I ended up feeling a bit ripped off - which really made me think. As others have said, what you think should be the vital points of the topic feel buried under heavy-handed drama that grates on the nerves rather than lending a sense of "the real stuff people have to deal with when they're alive." And yes, it feels like a screwball comedy that had all of the humor erased from the script. An artistic choice? I don't know. Yes, people get angry when faced with the possibility or the reality of a loved-one's suicide. Anger, resentment, guilt, it is all there. But there is no "voice of reason" in this film, and I suspect that's what most viewers feel cheated of. We want a magical ending, a sense of completion, catharsis, or at least a sense of dramatic satisfaction (the ending may not be the one we hoped for, but it felt 'right'). What was Roy thinking, sitting in the room with his friend Pete? To me, in retrospect, that was the climax of the film - the point where a decision was made and now everyone in the story has to figure out how to deal with it (and with all the things they've said to each other throughout the film). This movie may not be what we wanted, but it is what it is and we have to choose how to deal with it and with its subject matter (which isn't what we were hoping for, let's face it). People make choices. There are cumulative consequences for every one of those choices, and there is no "easy" out. Death is never an "easy" out. That stings, both in art and in life.

Joel David Moore's "Youth in Oregon" is no masterpiece but is still worth seeing. To my knowledge, it's the only movie that focuses on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act allowing physician-assisted suicide. In this case, Frank Langella plays an elderly man who asks his family to drive him to the Beaver State so that he can take advantage of the law. Not surprisingly, tense familial issues arise.

I'd say that the movie is interesting more than anything. The elderly man and his wife travel across the country driven by their son-in-law, while the daughter stays home to keep an eye on the rebellious granddaughter. Each of the characters has something to say, but I particularly liked the old man's talks about his adventures from his younger days.

Anyway, it's worth seeing. Not a great movie, but an OK one.

The movie has based on the "right to die" controversial issue ... but never,ind because the script is too emotional till it mostly won't make any sense , the writer is forcing a dying old man to take a torturous exhausting road-trip just because writer's out of any other ideas to fixing up him with his mentally challenged family members ! The old man who can't even walk has to seat inside a compact car for days and tolerate his mental family !! ... This punishment is enough to make ANYONE to commit a suicide , he's living with his crazy bipolar daughter and freaky drunk good for nothing wife and completely jackless grands ... HIS OWN FAMILY IS KILLING HIM, BEFORE ANY DISEASES ! HERE'S AN IDEA : JUST GO AROUND THE WORLD AND WATCH BIRDS TILL YOU DIE !the family should have gone to Oregon instead of him !