The Tomorrow Man

Greetings again from the darkness. Noble Jones worked as the second unit director on David Fincher's award-winning film THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010), and he has made quite a name for himself in music videos and commercials. This is his first feature film as director and he also wrote this interesting and original script. On top of that, he cast two premier veteran actors to bring the story to life: John Lithgow and Blythe Danner. At times it feels like we are watching a masterclass in acting and many of their scenes together have a live theatre feel.

Ed (Lithgow) and Ronnie (Danner) cross paths at the local grocery store where they each shop at an alarmingly frequent rate. It turns out Ed is preparing for doomsday and Ronnie is hoarder. As they spend time together, their fondness for each other grows, but we are never really sure if it's loneliness or connection that inspires the relationship between these two oddballs.

Despite both having a very serious approach to life, there are many moments of levity and sweetness, but also doses of reality that keep us off-balanced - just as life tends to. Ed proclaims the world would be such a disaster with ball bearings ... of course his view is a bit skewed since he spent 17 years on the business. Ronnie is brave enough to attend Thanksgiving dinner with Ed at his son's house, and the explosive family dynamics drive home the challenges of co-existing with others at any age. Many of us have family members that comfortably fit into either Camp Ed or Camp Ronnie.

Ed tells the new checkout clerk that it's "good to know your neighbor. You never know when you'll need them." His preparations for doom and gloom ... or as he calls it, SHTF ... are offset by Ronnie's sweetness, and a yard sale leads to the surprise ending. I originally saw this at the 2019 Dallas International Film Festival, and it's always a pleasure to welcome a new talented story teller to the cinematic world. Additionally, watching two talented actors play off each other is usually worth the price of a ticket, and as an added bonus, filmmaker Noble has finally found a good use for the song "Muskrat Love".

The movie starts with some scenes showing us the boring life of an old man. Ed (John Lithgow) is one of those old men in his wrong side of his 60s as he claims it who are proud of themselves for knowing how to use the technology & internet. He lives alone & he watches tv news everyday for a particular reason which we'll understand later in the movie. In the intro we see Ed talking on the phone with his son Brian (Derek Cecil) & complaining to him about how he always wastes his time & that he should be prepared for the unknown future.

As the story goes on he starts to like an old lady. He finds a way to make her notice him & he's as clingy as a teenager in his way. Ronnie (Blythe Danner) had a hard time in which she had lost her young daughter because of a rare disease & also her husband died of a cancer. They start liking & trusting each other & they both have a secret which later they reveal those to each other.

Ed is a man in control of everything & he knows what to do next but as the relationship progresses, he begins to feel the vicissitudes. Noble Jones did an impeccable job in writing & the screenplay seems so interesting. I highly recommend this movie if you wanna see a peaceful movie.

John Lithgow, and Blythe Danner gave their all in creating these two oddball characters - Ed and Ronnie. But their efforts just can't save this film. I enjoyed the plot but I just couldn't believe in Ed and Ronnie. For their age they come across as just a bit too simple.

The most interesting character is the goth girl that runs the curiosity shop! And she is seen only briefly.

But this is not a bad movie!

My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our public library. We enjoyed it, the two main characters are near our own ages and we could relate to their peculiarities, although neither of us share their outlooks.

The movie is called "Tomorrow Man" because John Lithgow as Ed believes the world is screwed up and it is only a matter of time before his town will be raided and taken over by a foreign power. So he has build a secret room in the back part of his home and has stocked it for survival for when the time comes. His home is neat and clean and he spends regular time watching news and on internet discussion groups of like-minded people.

The movie was filmed in the upstate New York town of Lyons, about an hour west of Syracuse and population near 5000. One day he notices a lady at the store ahead of him in the checkout line, Blythe Danner as Ronnie. As they begin to go on dates she asks if they can go to his house, we eventually find out why, she is a really bad hoarder.

So these essentially opposites are bound to influence each other to look at their beliefs and habits and begin to consider modifications. For Ed it is a giant yard sale, convinced that instead of always living for the tomorrow crisis that may never come, he should live for the present.

Both actors are in fine form creating very believable characters. The last 30 seconds are a surprise, reminding me of the end of "Fight Club".

Interesting movie, a bit better than its current IMDb rating would suggest.

Yeah, I am the wrong side of 60, but if I had someone like that woman, I could make a go of it! Funny in parts, sad in others, but I think well worth watching, especially if you think the world will end soon. I noted the Vegemite in his store room, now that's a man after my own heart! lol If you are a tidy person or a hoarder, then you may also relate to some of it. Cheers