Old Stock

Stock Burton (Noah Reid) has been spending most days in the last two years visiting and doing stuff around his grandfather's retirement home. He is hiding from something and somebody. He is jolted out of his comfort zone by the new dance instructor Patti (Melanie Leishman) doing her community service.

I like Dahlia's bitterness. I like Patti's adorableness. I like Stock's well-earned patheticness. You're more paralyzed than she is. That is just a great line. I like that Patti already knows the story which suggests that everybody knows. I like a lot of this. Maybe the movie should start with a second of the crash and the crash needs to be staged better. It does struggle to incorporate some of the lighter elements and all the elderly characters. I really love the cathartic climax. Despite some unevenness, I like this more than any of its difficulties.

........ it just doesn't jell.

There are too many characters dealing with their past mistakes. First there is Noah with his past mystery, then his grandfather and his wife, then Patti with her arson charge and community service, and the Dahlia issue that brings us back to Noah.

I state too many because the movie jumps from one to another in a rather disjointed way - but it doesn't confuse the story - it's just too much explaining the four main characters and their 'issues in life'. Plus the movie throws in some odd ball characters to keep the comedy and the lightheartedness feeling up for the viewer, which isn't bad but almost unnecessary.

The ultimate message to the viewer is that you cannot not hide from and avoid your past, as we see happening in Noah and granddad and it's best to deal with it as we see with Patti and Dahlia.

Happy ending .... Gee!