E se Vivêssemos Todos Juntos?

It is rare to see a movie that touches on the inevitable yet frightening stage of old age. Topics such as sex, independence, and life long friendships (as well as deception, jealousy, commitment) are weaved in and out this story. I loved each character and could easily imagine them in their younger years. Everyone looks so good for their age it's hard to believe that they were in their 70's and 80'S. Jane Fonda and Geraldine Chaplin make you do a double take regarding what a woman in her 70s can look like. Dancing and exercise WILL keep your body looking like a 20 year old. Im also surprised that this didn't get higher ratings. Great acting,great scenery, and underrated story. I had no idea that Jane Fonda spoke french. Who knew!

I hesitated writing this review because in some sense I don't know what to make of the film. I applaud the filmmakers taking on the multiple challenges of growing old , many of which are disturbing and undignified. It's likely that few people under 30 will want to see this film and many under 20 might find it absolutely yucky. The thought of Grandpa or Grandma having a sex life is probably a turn off to most mainstream moviegoers. It has rarely been handled credibly or tastefully. The current TV show Grace and Frankie is one of the rare exceptions and that has to do with both writing and casting.

Which gets us to Jane Fonda. I think she is brilliant in the TV show but sounds a jarring note here. I suppose the reason is a compliment to her. She just doesn't look her age. She appears to be 20 years younger ( at the least) than the other actors in the ensemble. Nobody talks about it, but it is unmistakable. And it becomes more disturbing with each passing reel. It is the elephant in the room. For this film to work, you needed actors who look their age. Otherwise much of the dialogue rings hollow. All of the men in the cast look their age. There is no stretch of credibility there. The women - not so much. And it is never more jarring than in the case of Ms. Fonda.

There is nothing wrong with her performance. In fact a US audience might find it quite startling to watch her speak French throughout her performance. Think about that. Jane Fonda had to be subtitled for an English speaking audience. But it's not nearly as jarring as having someone who appears to be 50ish, interacting with and claiming to be the equal of characters who are in their mid-70s.

Good for you, Jane. You really do look terrific, and not just for your age. But casting you in this film has undercut its credibility.

ALL TOGETHER (Et si on vivait tous ensemble?) is an important French film written and directed by Stéphane Robelin that addresses the ever more important question of aging. People are living longer and while that has its benefits it also poses problems not only for the aging population who must learn to cope with their diminishing facilities but also for the families of those who may not be content with their fading importance and individuality. In other words, how will we each cope with getting old without loved ones that are willing to hold our hand and be comfortably at our side until the end? Films such as this are being created more frequently (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel form this year also addressed similar issues as The Bucket Plan and other in the recent past). Where ALL TOGETHER differs is in the honest way the feelings and expectations and coping codes are managed with dignity without losing the lightness of comedy.

Annie (Geraldine Chaplin) Jean (Guy Bedos) are a married couple who live in a home large enough to accommodate others: their grandchildren no longer visits, a fact the Annie feels could be rectifies by building a swimming pool but Jean objects: Claude (Claude Berhnard) is reaching 75 and since his wife died he has been satisfying his needs with hookers until a heart attack impedes his performance abilities and he must seek pharmacologic enhancement; Albert (Pierre Richard) has Alzheimer's and is increasingly forgetful while his wife Jeanne (Jane Fonda) is hiding the fact that she has terminal cancer while at the same time planning her own rather lighthearted pink coffin funeral. These five 70ish people have been friends for over forty years. But they are growing old and old age tends to be synonymous with reduced autonomy, loss of memory, illness, retirement home and, worst of all, separation. One day, one of the five friends suggests saying no to isolation and loneliness: what if they lived together? How this group of friends, with their accompanying old secrets and jealousies, interact in the new development of living in Annie and Jean's home - with the added assistance from young ethnology student Dirk (Daniel Brühl) who happens to be writing a thesis on the aging population - results in many credible, tender stories of need and interaction in the 'golden years.' An uplifting film about the better aspects of growing old - with friends.

Grady Harp

"Old age is a wreckage", Charles de Gaulle once said. A statement which is verified in certain cases (for instance if you have to live the very end of your life alone, weakened by illness and forsaken by others), but should not be considered unavoidable. This is at least the central thesis of this pleasant movie directed by Stéphane Robelin (his second feature after "Real Movie", 2004). One of the solutions to this difficult problem lies is the very title of the film "Et si on vivait tous ensemble ?" (What about living all together ?), in other words: join forces with friends of your age when you are old and support one another so as to make life easier and more enjoyable. This interesting theme is dealt with quite competently (and surprisingly so) by Stéphane Robelin, a director in his late thirties, more likely to take an interest in the problems adults of his age have to go through than to examine the hardships of the third and fourth ages. Young adults are not forgotten for that matter with the character of Dirk, a German ethnologist who has settled down in the Colins' house to study the community formed by the group of old friends, notably his difficult relationships with a girl companion who will not accept him as he is . But Robelin concentrates the bulk of his attention on the five old chaps and manages to tell us on the difficulties linked to old age (loss of memory, illness, sex, being cut off from one's children and grandchildren, the conditions in old people's home, the nearness of death, etc.) without falling into complacent pessimism. Instead he makes the right choice of a dynamic approach to the issue by suggesting a possible solution. And isn't it known for a fact that a light tone, just like the Spoonful of Sugar of the song helps the medicine go down, is a much more powerful ferment for thought than the spectacle of despair ? As for the way out of old age problems suggested by the film, you can find it debatable, over-optimistic, unrealistic or valid only for too limited a number of people but you cannot deny that it paves the way for fruitful discussions of a major social issue and/or self-reflection. The second strong point of the movie is undoubtedly its amazing cast. In what other French comedy indeed can you find brought together so many great international talents as in "Et si on vivait tous ensemble ?". The answer is easy : none. For those who love actors, seeing Guy Bedos, Claude Rich, Jane Fonda, Geraldine Chaplin, Pierre Richard (in one of the most poignant roles of his career) and Daniel Brühl work together is a real treat. As a conclusion, you would be well advised not to skip such a worthwhile effort. Unless you have any objection against a movie that is at the same time wonderfully well acted, intelligent, funny and moving!

This lovely film which, as we all know, describes the lives of five fairly wealthy people living comfortably but facing the reality of their age, and impending ill health. The portraits are excellent and poignant, often amusing as some grasp on to what is left that identifies them to their selves - the Lothario cannot face life without sex and constantly needs his vanity stroking. The sweetest portrayal is that of Albert who is facing dementia, and his friends and wife don't ignore it but try to live around it. When they merge their lives under one roof, there is little chaos really, which is odd, and shows how close they must all have been, I can't imagine moving in with anyone and not facing teething problems. They don't stifle their natural behaviours and continue their friendships of forty years together under one roof. The young man who is walking the fabulous dog and also studying them is probably the most bewildered of them all. Don't think that this is saccharine sweet because of the above, it's clean and tidy, but still faces the problems. Loved it, loved them.