Mai così vicini

Just watched this with my mom on a Netflix disc. We both enjoyed this mostly leisurely humorous look at a couple of older leads-Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton-coping with the loss of their spouses while also dealing with one selling his former home as a realtor (Douglas), one trying to not get too depressed while performing songs on stage (Keaton), and both dealing with a young girl-Douglas' son's offspring whose father is about to go to jail for a crime he didn't commit-staying in the grassy retreat neighborhood they live next door in. I'll just now say this was quite humorous and touching if not hilarious or too dramatic. Director Rob Reiner gives a nice measured pace throughout and appears himself as Keaton's pianist accompanist with an obvious bad hair job! I also liked Frances Sternhagen as Michael's fellow real estate work mate, and that girl played by Sterling Jerins. So on that note, And So It Goes is worth a look.

You can't watch this film and not think of one of the two films I referred to- 2003's "Something's Gotta Give" and of course the Oscar- winning 1997 "As Good As It Gets". Overall, I'll give "And So It Goes" a modest recommendation if you liked those two films, but this movie has got it's problems. One of those problems I think honestly is the length- at only 90 minutes (your standard running time to maximize the movie multiplexes' number of showtimes), you just don't have the time to fully develop the story and characters; unlike "As Good As It Gets" for instance- a 2 & 1/2 hour movie. Oscar winners Diane Keaton & Michael Douglas I think work well together, and have on-screen chemistry. They just needed a more fully-developed screenplay.

And Rob Reiner (who also has a supporting role in the film)- wow; this guy used to be one of the top Hollywood filmmakers of the '80s and early '90s- with films like "Princess Bride", "Stand By Me", "When Harry Met Sally", "Misery", "A Few Good Men", etc... He had a modest comeback with the 2000's film "Bucket List", but other than that, the guy can't seem to catch a break about the past 20 years- ever since that infamous bomb "North" I'd say?? Well, anyhoo, if you're looking for something to watch, and the aforementioned films are not readily available (or you've seen them enough already), you may wanna give this a try- And so it goes...

Hey it's a Rob Reiner movie, what could possibly go wrong? Not too much, but he's coasting here, and even indulging himself with a minor role. It's not terrible but it is derivative, with Keaton doing her adorable kooky self and Douglas his mean mother routine, concealing a heart of gold. Echoes of Bill Murray in St Vincent with his child-phobia or Nicholson in As Good As it Gets with his misogyny, they inevitably get together and it all ends in a pretty saccharine love-in. Lots of ethnic minority casting and an adorable kid, you'll either surrender to its charms or reach for the sick bag.

It's easy to assume the worst of And So It Goes. It looks like every other generic "comedy" that's been hastily slapped together to appeal to a more mature audience - the kind of film in which, these days, respected veterans of the silver screen appear in order to finance their retirement. Heck, this isn't even the first time Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton have popped up in such "comedies": the former played an aging Lothario in Last Vegas, while Keaton kicked off the whole sub-genre in Something's Gotta Give, and most recently appeared in The Big Wedding. The good news is that And So It Goes somehow manages to work anyway. It's predictable and occasionally not funny at all, but when it settles into its groove, the weight of age and experience of the two lead characters contributes quite a bit to their inevitable romance.

Oren Little (Douglas) is a cynical, cantankerous old man who's never recovered from the death of his beloved wife many years ago. As a result, he's pushed almost everyone away, including his estranged, ex-junkie son Luke (Scott Shepherd). While trying to sell off his family home so he can retire in Canada, Oren moves into a lakeside apartment complex he owns. There, he meets Leah (Keaton), an aspiring lounge singer who can never get all the way through a song without bursting into tears at the thought of her own deceased husband. On his way to a stint in jail, Luke begs Oren to take care of his daughter Sarah (Sterling Jerins) - a task which Oren promptly palms off to Leah.

The plot, as you might imagine, marches on predictably from here: Oren and Leah, forced to spend more time together, begin to soften towards each other. He realises she's smart, spunky and a great cook; she sees that he's not just a grumpy, irascible ball of hatred. It's sometimes hard to take too seriously the way in which And So It Goes pulls off its so-called 'character development': can a casual bigot like Oren, who tosses off rather offensive remarks with little care for what others might think, really be trusted around other human beings? Much less deliver a baby, as he's called upon to do in one of the film's more surreal moments?

And yet, the film manages to find its own emotional groove anyway. The connection between Oren and Leah, both of whom have lost the first loves of their lives, is deep in a way other meet-cute romances aren't. You suspect that the reason they fall for each other is as much due to mutual attraction as to the fact that the other person loves so deeply and so truly.

Both actors lend the considerable weight of their experiences and personalities to their roles: Douglas gives Oren a great deal of charm, and makes his friendship with his old biddy of an assistant Claire (Frances Sternhagen) shine through the insults they casually trade. Keaton does what Keaton has always done, and does it very well. She glides through the film, as kooky as the day we first sat up and took notice of her in Annie Hall, and easily sings her tremulous way into Oren's heart - and the hearts of her audiences.

Not by any stretch of the imagination a great film, And So It Goes is nevertheless a mostly enjoyable watch. It won't be a highlight on the CVs of anyone involved: not for director Rob Reiner (who has a supporting role as Leah's hapless accompanist), and certainly not for Douglas and Keaton. But it won't be an abject embarrassment either. You might be hoping for a little more from cast and script and premise, but this is nevertheless a film that - for all its awkward fumbles - deals with the profound ideas of love, loss and second chances in a surprisingly effective way.

If you were told to watch a movie directed by Rob Reiner, starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton, with a budget of $30 mil. you could think that you are about to experience a movie with powerful emotions and an interesting plot.

Actually, in the end, this is a rather simple movie and its course is obvious from the beginning.

Michael Douglas plays Oren Little, a realtor who's about to retire after he makes his last sale, and Diane Keaton plays his singer next-door neighbor. What will happen between them is to be seen (I won't spoil it for you) but I'm pretty sure you have already guessed.

The acting from the 2 veteran actors is effortless but the direction from the once-mighty Rob Reiner is too simple and targeting more for a few easy laughs if nothing else. Note that Reiner is also in the movie as the pianist who plays for Diane Keaton's character.

It's a dramedy more than just a comedy but even the dramatic elements are more likely to promote laughter, if not anything else.

There a couple of good songs sang by Keaton (?) and you also get to see Grease's Frankie Valli in a cameo appearance.

Overall: It's OK. Douglas/Keaton are fun to watch, but don't expect greatness.