Youth in Oregon

Another attempt at fooling people with the trailer that this is another little miss sunshine movie . This movie misses completely I like the actors in this movie that's why I watched it but the script Is poor and the story line isn't great . There was no big lines to sense some closure anytime in the movie it was all over the place . The actors never got into character it seems like and they are trying to hard it's almost annoying I'm a 28 year old man thinking about getting old and doing what the motive was the movie is a waste of time . The point of the movie ? When you find out please tell me cause I am lost Oh yea Josh Lucas reappeared in a movie ! Bad one to chose

Suicide and euthanasia have been and will continue to be very controversial moral issues. I believe that in most societies today the prevailing attitude towards people who choose to end their own lives is judgemental and dogmatically hostile. This is understandable. People who choose to end their own lives challenge our conventional thinking that "life is a gift" no matter how much hardship and pointless suffering it contains. Indeed, there is something threatening about someone taking their own life. It scares us, it confuses us. But it tells us something about ourselves: how we often choose to ignore the fact that we live in a pretty terrible world that is full of sentient suffering. And that the meaningless platitudes like "suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem" and "it always gets better" mean little to people who are actually going through hell on a daily basis. It is, therefore, very important to explore the issues of suicide and euthanasia not only through philosophical arguments, but also through art. "Youth in Oregon" is one of the attempts of such exploration.

I think if you are willing to go into this with an open-mind and consider the point of view of the characters (and I mean ALL characters!), you are likely to enjoy this movie. I think the acting was great and the plot was good enough to keep me interested and engaged. Yes, there are flaws also and some of them may be annoying. But for me this movie has been mostly a positive and thoughtful experience.

I understand why some people would be upset with this movie as it does, quite subtly I think, challenge the prevailing life-affirming paradigm. But it is by no means one-sided. Essentially, it tries to consider different issues like autonomy, the meaning and value of human life, friendship and family from different perspectives represented by different characters. If you go into this with an open-mind and ready to do some thinking to consider the point of view of the characters, there may be value for you in this movie. Even if there are no overly deep insights, there is still much to consider and to ponder at. The aesthetics and atmosphere were also to my taste. I also found the comedy aspect funny. But it is probably better to go into it with lower expectations. Thank you!

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.

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.