Current-day problems also intrude in the form of her adult son, Gene (a bitter Matthias Schoenaerts), who has lost his furniture business along with his wife. Addie explains how her young daughter was killed by a driver after running into the street. Louis talks about how he cheated on his wife and hurt Holly. Much of the film involves these near-strangers filling in the details of their past. And, on their first night together sharing a bed, Addie is so relieved to have a man’s warm body beside her, she starts snoring ever so slightly the minute her head hits her pillow. An actual piece of luggage might just imply commitment after all, let alone leaving clothes at her place. There is something essentially older-male about how Louis carries a change of clothes in a tidily rolled-top paper grocery bag while walking to Addie’s place every evening. There is an undercurrent of humor along the way, but dignity is maintained. “You’ve been pretty busy for sure,” he smirks, before adding, “We all wish we had your energy.” When he strolls into the local coffee shop after entering through the front door for the first time, he is taunted by the local gossip ( Bruce Dern, Fonda’s husband in “Coming Home”). Fonda is the bold, free spirit who makes the first move and breaks the ice in forging a relationship while Redford is the staid, uptight worrier who sneaks in Addie’s backdoor so people don’t talk. One thing that I appreciate about the script, besides how most of the creakiest of old-age clichés are avoided-OK, Louis jokingly says “What?” on the phone while talking to daughter Holly ( Judy Greer) when she brings up the topic of hearing aids-is that echoes of their “Barefoot in the Park” roles are imprinted on this couple. But this steady-as-it-goes approach to a senior snuggling has its ups and downs, too. Weber, who were responsible for penning two of the best teen weep-athons of recent vintage, “ The Spectacular Now” and “ The Fault in Our Stars.” The hormonal surges in “Our Souls at Night” aren’t quite the rollercoaster ride they are in those adolescent affairs. Even better, it is adapted by writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. There are banjos on the soundtrack, majestic mountain scenery and the Highwaymen on the radio. And at their ages-Cat Ballou turns 80 later this year and the Sundance Kid hit 81 last month-they have everything to gain and nothing to lose by becoming a twosome at this autumnal stage in life, much like Addie and Louis.īased on a novel by Kent Haruf and directed by Ritesh Batra (“The Lunchbox”), the setting is what one would imagine if Bedford Falls existed in cowboy country. He and Fonda boast a combined 114 years of acting experience, and appeared together in two lesser films in the ‘60s, "Tall Story" and “ The Chase,” as well as “ The Electric Horseman” in 1979. Just like widow Addie and widower Louis, neighbors in a cozy Colorado town whose paths have crossed now and then over the years, the two stars possess a certain ease and unspoken rapport when in each other’s presence, even if Redford’s character initially is somewhat taken aback by the idea of senior citizen sleepovers. A half-century ago, this legendary pair were a couple of kooky unshod newlyweds doing Neil Simon shtick in the marital lark “Barefoot in the Park.” Now they are reunited thanks to Netflix, which has been fond of Fonda ever since she and her “ Nine to Five” buddy Lily Tomlin teamed up as unlikely roomies on the sitcom “Grace and Frankie.”
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