All Of Me - Lily Tomlin and Steve Martin

Rating: 10 Arthritic Fingers Up

 All of Me (1000)Check Price

Although Mom is no longer with me to rate this movie, I can still hear her chuckling in my mind at this comedy film; this would definitely have been one of her favorite movies of all time.

The laughter starts when millionaire Edwina Cutwater (Lily Tomlin) finds out she's dying - no, that doesn't sound so funny but what is funny is when she agrees to have her soul (for a whole bunch of money) transferred to the young, beautiful female body of Terri Hoskins (played by Victoria Tennant).

But, the plan goes awry when the shaman who is doing the soul transferring accidentally transfer her soul into the body of Roger Cobb (Steve Martin), her lawyer. She takes over the right side of his body. See, in this movie at least, money can buy you everything - even if it is you soul inhabiting the wrong body.

Each actress and actor in All of Me puts on very funny performances. This is a great movie to watch with an elderly loved one!

If you liked All of Me, you might also like:

 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)Check Price The Incredible Shrinking WomanCheck Price Steve Martin: The Television StuffCheck Price Movie Marathon Collection: Steve Martin (Bowfinger / Parenthood / Housesitter / Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid / The Lonely Guy) (1982)Check Price

Move Over, Darling with Doris Day and James Garner

Rating: 8 Arthritic Fingers Up

Move Over, Darling is a really cute movie featuring a very young Doris Day and James Garner. Declared dead after, presumably, being lost at sea after a plane crash, Ellen (Doris Day) is rescued from a deserted island and reintroduced to her old life. And, her timing is impeccable as she appears back on the scene the very day her husband, Nicky (James Garner) has her declared legally dead and remarries a new wife - and takes off on his honeymoon where a very coiffed and stylishly dress Ellen also shows up. When Nicky sees Ellen standing in the lobby, the antics start!

Produced in 1963, Move Over, Darling is sure to delight any elderly person who liked movies back then. Doris Day's innocent face is sure to stir memories of the good old days when phone calls were $0.10 and movie tickets weren't much more. It's also fun to watch the supporting cast of characters when they were younger such as Don Knotts, Thelma Ritter, Edgar Buchanan, John Astin, and Pat Harrington.

And, if your senior citizen loved one loves Doris Day as much as I do, you might want to check out the below good movies for senior citizens:

Calendar Girls with Helen Miren and Julie Walters

Rating: 8 Arthritic Fingers Up

Calendar Girls is a very funny british comedy about a group of 50 something women who come up with the idea to make a nude calendar of themselves in order to raise money for a new sofa in a hospital waiting room. The movie is filled with beautiful scenes filmed in England so it really is a work of art on top of being funny. The only reason Mom would have given it 8 arthritic fingers up as the rating is because I doubt she would have been able to understand some of the thicker British accents. But, if you're from England, you can't go wrong with Calendar Girls.

As an aside, the nude scenes are not really all that nude so even prudish elderly women and men will think this movie is funny. Pick it up today - makes a great Christmas stocking stuffer also as it's not very expensive.

If you liked Calendar Girls, you might also want to check out:

The Long, Long Trailer with Lucy Ball and Desi Arnaz

Rating: 5 arthritic fingers up.

Produced in 1954, this old movie is pretty amusing if you consider the age of the thing. You won't see any great special effects, although, the one scene where Lucy gets blown out of the camper is pretty funny. The premise of this movie (and the reason I watched it as we just bought a travel trailer) is that this young married couple decide to buy a travel trailer so that they can be together as Desi starts his music career on the road.

As can be expected, travels and travails occur, including getting the car (a cadillac is pulling this very long, long trailer!) and trailer stuck in mud up to the axles. Lucy, in typical Lucille Ball fashion, is a daffy housewife who insists on collecting rocks on their trip around the US. Of course, this adds to the weight of the travel trailer and to Desi's despair.

Amusing as this short film is, as a younger person, you might not like it, but watch it with an older person and you'll like it more. I'm sorry that my Mom is no longer with me to have watched it, but I know she would have laughed at the antics in this movie.

If you liked the Long Long Trailer, you might also consider watching Lucy and Desi's 2 other movies:

When Harry Met Sally with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan

Rating: 9 arthritic fingers up



Mom would have rated this "10 arthritic thumbs up" if she was still here with me but, since I'm taking over the rating now, I gave it a slight downgrade to "9 arthritic fingers up" due to the very fun scene where Meg Ryan (Sally) fakes an orgasm - I'm just not sure that every elderly person is as progressive as "Dirty Gertie" was.

Regardless, When Harry Met Sally, is a wonderful movie about two friends (Harry <Billy Crystal> and Sally <Meg Ryan> - go figure) meet in New York. The film follows them through a close friendship, to love, to hate, and back to love so the ending is very sweet. Elderly people will also love the real life couples who are featured in small vignettes throughout the movie - people who have been together for many many years and still love each other - just the way it should be.

Some of the best scenes are the first time Harry and Sally land in bed. The camera first focuses on Sally - hair amuss, smile on lips, eyes closed in contentment and then the camera pans to Harry whose eyes show the shock and panic he feels. Both Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are wonderful in this movie. I'm certain your elderly loved one will really enjoy this film.

If you liked When Harry Met Sally, you might also like:

Awakenings with Robin Williams and Robert De Niro

Rating: 6 arthritic fingers up

For those of you who have seen Awakenings, you might wonder why only 6 arthritic fingers up. I chose this rating as, in my own opinion, this movie is easily a 10 but, when viewing with a senior citizen, it's probably quite sad in the end.

Awakenings is based on a true story of British neurologist, Oliver Sacks, and his quest to bring back to life a group of people suffering the effects of an epidemic of encephalitis lethargica between 1917 and 1928. The disease left these people in a catatonic state with little ability to interact with others or their environment.

Robin Williams (playing Malcolm Sayer) is superb in his portrayal of Oliver Sacks. He breaks away from his rapid fire personality and plays this shy researcher with grace and great skill. But, the winning performance of the movie Awakenings, and perhaps of his career, goes to Robert De Niro who plays Leonard Lowe, a now 40 something man who has been in a catatonic state since he was a very young boy. Robert De Niro masters the mannerisms of one both awakening and then descending back into a deep sleep with such skill it's just amazing.

As heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, Awakenings should be on everyone's bookshelf. Just view it carefully before sharing it with you favorite senior citizen.

If you liked Awakenings, you might also like:

Birdcage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane

Rating: 10 arthritic fingers up! (for open minded senior citizens).

Ok, Birdcage the movie hits it out of the park. Enchanting, funny, and very easy to follow, this movie had my Mom laughing out loud. The one caveat I would put upon the rating is that the movies characters are homosexuals and, although Mom and I don't care, some seniors may be more sensitive. It's just how they were raised, folks.

Birdcage opens with a drag show in a club owned by Armand (Robin Williams) in Florida. Armand and his companion, Albert, the star of the drag show (Nathan Lane), live in a grand home above the club. Tended to by gay housekeeper Agador (Hank Azaria), Albert is quite the drama queen in more sense than one.

Armand's son, Val, the product of a one night stand some 20 years ago, is getting married to the daughter (Calista Flockhart) of a very conservative politician played by Gene Hackman and asks that "Auntie Albert" not be present during the meeting between Armand and his fiance's family. This is where the fun begins.

There's many laugh out loud parts of the movie Birdcage. Our favorites were:

• "Sparticus" trying to walk in shoes. Hank Azaria is hilarious as a slapstick actor.
• Watching Albert, in his pink striped suit glory try to walk like John Wayne

The movie is totally enchanting and has some great one liners in it that are easy to follow. Although Nathan Lane is truly the star of the show, Hank Azaria's housekeeper character takes the cake as far as Mom and I were concerned.

This is a GREAT movie for a senior citizen or anyone, imho.

If you liked Birdcage, you'll love:

   

Moonstruck with Cher and Nicholas Cage

Rating: Four arthritic fingers up

I'll admit it - this review is mostly my take on Moonstruck as my Mom fell asleep right after it started, awoke briefly, decided it was boring and dozed right back off. I could have done the same if I hadn't been entertained by online writing while the movie was playing.

The premise of this movie is one of deception - and, everybody is cheating on everybody else during this particular phase of the moon - hence, Moonstruck.

Cher's character is engaged to an Italian mobster type man but sleeps, and falls in love with, his brother. Cher's mother (Olivia Dukakis) meets a younger college professor during dinner out one night and there she goes! Meanwhile, Cher's father is carrying on a display of affection with a tart.

Besides everyone doing everyone else, there was a scene when Cher's original boyfriend is at the bedside of his ill mother. I found that scene a bit uncomfortable given that I'm my elderly Mom's caregiver. I was glad she slept through it, although the mother does recover.

There's also a lot of Italian yelling and gesturing. I say skip this one. Instead, you might like:

   

Rio

Rating: 3 Arthritic Fingers Up Rio, the newly released animated film featuring voice of Jesse Eisenberg (as Blu) and Anne Hathaway (as Jewel)            is a bit too much like Finding Nemo (without the funny character of Ellen Degeneres). The movie was cute, but in the opinion of one very senior citizen (94) and one approaching senior citizenship (none of your business...), and one 40 year old, it was sort of boring.

The story starts with the requisite capture of Blu, one of the last blue Amazon parrots on earth. In fact, Blu is only 1 of 2 known of his species. Unfortunately, Blu lives with his owner (and total devotee Linda). And, since he's lived a totally cushy life, he's never learned to fly.

Linda and Blu get talked into a trip to Rio so that Blu can, ostensibly, continue the species with Jewel (a kind of nasty bird at first). Through many trials and tribulation, including a kidnapping (bird-napping?) plot, Blu learns to fly and is....well, I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it.

Personally, I lost interest in about 30 minutes; Mom was sleeping by minute 10.

There are other animated flicks that I would recommend though for viewing with a senior citizen friend, including the below:

Finding Nemo with Ellen Degeneres and Albert Brooks

Rating - 10 arthritic fingers up!

 "A boat? I saw a boat!"

Now, if you're a caregiver of the elderly, you might well identify your charge with Dory the fish (Ellen Degeneres) - a fish of very short term memory. This character about put me down for good with laughter! I just dropped and rolled. Mom was also amused - albeit, not nearly as much as I was.

Finding Nemo is clearly a winner when looking for a fun, light movie needed to entertain about anyone in the world, including a 94 year old.

The story starts with Nemo, a clownfish with a bum wing (um...fin) and an overprotective father starting off to school on his own. Little did he realize the perils of not listening to good old dad. Poor Nemo gets trapped in a net and ends up in a dentist's office in an aquarium in Sydney, Australia.

The story line is delightfully whimsical and easy to follow. Honestly: everyone will love this movie - if not, just press ESC-APE (pronounced Esc-CA-pe...) on your DVD and dial up something else!

If you liked Finding Nemo, you'll also like:

    

The Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg

Rating: 10 arthritic fingers up.

Could The Sister Act be any funnier?! Whoopi Goldberg stands out as a comedian  when she goes undercover as a nun (Deloris) to avoid being, shall we say, annihilated by an ex-boyfriend (of the married variety).

The Mother at the convent is not a fan of Delores' and resists her attempts to interact with the tough neighborhood residents or create a bit more of a social environment inside the convict. Lots of good music and feel good scenes occur as the nuns clean up the area around their convent and create their own type of hipness and the tough guys in the neighborhood crumble.

During The Sister Act, Sister Mary Clarence realizes that the nuns may be good at praying but they suck as a choir. This is one choir that needs HELP and Dolores, with her vast musical background (an ex-lounge singer in Remo), takes over whipping the other sisters into shape, musically.

The Sister Act is an easy movie to follow and Mom chuckled all the way through it. With no sex (there is, of course, a vow of chastity....) or drugs but a lot of rock and roll, there are some great songs from the 70s which are recognizable to almost everyone. A particularly nice musical number is My Guy (performed as My God by the nuns). The finale can't be missed - "I will follow him" takes on a whole new meaning when it's sung by a group of nuns and not a bunch of teenagers crying about lost love.

So, grab your favorite senior citizen, pop some popcorn, and belly up to the sofa for The Sister Act.

If you liked The Sister Act, you might also like:

    

The Odd Couple with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon

Rating: 8 arthritic fingers up.

Dut dut dut dut dooo, dut dut doo dut dut doo doo....Anyone who is a fan of The Odd Couple will semi-recognize the opening music I semi-recreated above.

The Odd Couple is a very comical story of Felix Unger and Oscar Madison, a couple as odd as it gets. After his marriage breaksup, the uber-neatnik Felix moves in with his old pal (and slob) Oscar Madison - to the chagrin of both parties. Oscar, of cigar-smoking, sock-throwing, food-under-the-bed fame and Felix who is always gripping and cleaning up entertain poker games with a host of interesting cronies - Vinnie, Murray (the cop), Roy, and Speed.

Then there the Pigeon sisters, Cicely and Gwendolyn who are pretty much interchangeable. Mom rolled at this part of the movie.

The Odd Couple is a movie that is easy to watch and a fun movie for a slow night. Created in 1968, The Odd Couple is as funny today as it was then.

The spin-off TV show is also very very funny. That show features Tony Randall as Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar. A great way to keep someone in stitches for hours at a time.

       

City Slickers - Billy Crystal

Rating: 9 arthritic fingers up

I'll admit it - I'm a Billy Crystal fan. To me, he's like a Robin Williams without the drugs. I love his ad libs in City Slickers - like when his horse starts walking backward and he calls it the 'moon walk.'

City Slickers is a very fun, very easy to follow movie about three friends who are each in their own throes of a mid-life crisis. So, for vacation, they decide to go to a dude ranch and drive cattle. The most powerful thing either of these men have driven is a car...

The movie follows them as they drive cattle across the New Mexico and their antics and conversation as they work through their individual women problems is just delightful.

The jokes come very fast but they're not very obscure which should help your favorite senior citizen follow the dialogue.

If you liked City Slickers, you might like:

  

Doc Hollywood with Michael J. Fox

Rating: 10 arthritic fingers up!

Both Gert and I loved Doc Hollywood, but, then again, we're big Michael J. Fox fans!

Doc Hollywood starts off with a cross country trip to Hollywood, California for a young doctor, Dr. Benjamin Stone, played by Michael J. Fox. In his impatience (and arrogance) to avoid traffic, he ends up taking country roads in the race to his new plastic surgery job in LA. Along the way, he swerves to avoid some cows in the road and takes out a white picket fence in the small town of Grady. And the fun begins.

Sentenced to perform community service and awaiting parts for his fancy sports car, Dr. Stone works in the only hospital alongside the ambulance driver, a woman named 'Lou.' I won't divulge much more of the story but it involves love and a pig - not necessarily in that order and there is no bestiality involved!

Doc Hollywood is well deserved of its 10 arthritic fingers up and is great for any viewing audience.

If you liked Doc Hollywood, you might enjoy:

 

Big - Tom Hanks

10 arthritic fingers up!

The movie "Big" was the best of the bunch of good movies for senior citizens we've reviewed as of this point. Tom Hanks plays Josh, an 11 year old who awakens one day in his bunk bed at home but has been transformed overnight into a 20-something year old man's body after making a wish at a carnival (I knew there was a reason I've always been scared of those creepy fortune teller machines at traveling carnivals). He takes off in disbelief to try and find the carnival machine which has been packed up and ostensibly shipped off to terrorize another young boy somewhere.

He returns home but his mother understandably freaks out when he appears as a full grown man in the living room and chases him off.

Josh's friend who was with him at the carnival is the only person he can turn to who can possibly understand his situation and offer any solace. So he  heads off to find little Billy and eventually convinces him that he really is Josh.

Through many trials and tribulations, John gets a job and is wildly successful working for a toy developer. The requisite love affair (almost) starts when a woman falls in love with the child inside - little does she know he really is an 11 year old inside.

Our favorite scene in the movie "Big" by far was, of course, the piano scene when John sees his boss at a toy store and the two do a duet on the big piano mat. This scene is a classic in every sense of the word. And, Tom Hanks, the consummate actor that he is, has once again become a BIG winner by taking on this movie.

Mom and I both loved the movie "Big" and recommend it to any senior citizen (and their caregiver friends!).

If you like the movie BIG, you'll love:

  

Father's Little Dividend - Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor

Rating: 6 arthritic fingers up - would have been higher if the sound quality was better and Gert didn't like Billie Burke's voice - it was 'squeaky.'

This movie is the sequel to The Father of the Bride (which we didn't see as it's not on Netflix....drats). But, Father's Little Dividend was fun anyway. The main character, Stanley Banks (played by Spencer Tracy), has finally gotten over his daughter's (played by a young and very beautiful Elizabeth Taylor) elaborate wedding the previous year and is settling in, dreaming of his retirement when he gets a little surprise; she's pregnant and he's going to be a Grandpa. He's feeling old and not at all happy but that's not it....

Stanley's wife, Ellie, however, is over the moon with the news of the baby and wants to be a hands on Grandma! She gets uber involved in the situation and offers to have younger happy couple move in with she and Stanley while their house is being built. Remodeling and other havoc ensues throughout the rest of the movie.

We did notice a problem with the quality of this movie produced in 1951. As with most old movies, the sound quality is not superb and mom had a hard time hearing some of the dialogue, even with the TV volume up to the max. So, if your elderly friend is hard of hearing, this one might be a little hard. (Note: other places in the movie were SO LOUD they scared us to death!). Well, not quite to death...thankfully.

But, alas, Mom couldn't stand Billie Burke's voice so we ditched the movie after just 20 minutes or so.

Steve Martin and Diane Keaton recreate the rolls of the elder Banks couple in the recreated Father of the Bride series which are also very funny. These newer movies might be a better bet for the elderly with hearing problems.

A League Of Their Own - Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell

Rating: Ten arthritic fingers up.

A League Of Their Own contains a terrific all star cast which brings this movie to life. Loosely based on a true life story, A League Of Their Own follows one of the very first all-women's softball leagues which was created when all of the men went to war in the 1940's. Complete with all the elements of a great feel-good movie (including a sister rivalry and the obligatory husband returning from war scene), A League of their Own is a very heartwarming tale.

Tom Hands plays a has-been baseball player who is basically forced to coach and build a cohesive team of baseball players from a group of women who, although maybe not quite talented, have heart. Geena Davis, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell all give very enchanting, fun performances.

One of the best parts of the movie for mom and me was the famous Tom Hank's uttering the incredulous 'There's no crying in baseball!' Funny moment.

We think that any senior citizen would enjoy A League Of Their Own.

Of interesting note is that the actual softball teams were The Rockford Peaches and The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, Many of the original players from The All-American Girls Professional Baseball Leauge appear in the last scene of the movie when they're reunited at the Baseball Hall of Fame and take their rightful places in history.

If you like A League of Their Own, you might like the below items:

The Money Pit with Tom Hanks and Shelly Long

Rating: 10 arthritic fingers up....

Ok, this movie delighted both Mom and me as we're, well, we're living in The Money Pit ourselves. The movie starts with a young couple (Hanks and Long) picking up a mansion for a song after the woman of the manse has to get money for 'blood sucking laywers'. Turns out her husband was Hitler's pool man and has been extradited.

And so, the Money Pit is born. Almost immediately, the facade crumbles (as it did to me in real life). All kinds of mishaps befall the young couple who barely make it out alive from the mansion that seemingly is evil; even the doorbell conspires against him!

 Now, in real life, my house is 157 years old and Gert and I never know whether we're going to have heat or water in the morning so The Money Pit was particularly appropriate viewing for both of us. Many chuckles and some real laughing outbursts were had. We really loved the scene where the gorgeous stairwell collapses upon itself. Too funny!

And, of course, there's the obligatory love triangle with an ex-husband and, in the end...well, you'll have to watch to see what happens.

This movie is recommended for any senior citizen who likes to laugh.

Have you seen The Money Pit or have any other suggestions for movies for us to try? If so, I'd love you to leave a comment below.

If you like The Money Pit, you might like these other movies: