There's getting old -- as in quarter or mid-life crisis -- and then there's getting old -- as in sick and unable to take care of yourself. This movie's about the latter, sort of. In most people's views, sending a parent to a nursing home is a sign of defeat and/or selfishness. For Jon and Wendy Savage, it's both of those and oh so much more. I went into this movie thinking it was a "dark comedy" but buyer beware, it's no such thing. There's certainly humor in the film but it's more accurate to describe everything as "depressing but with lots of places to smile."
Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman are excellent as usual. I wonder if Linney is actually that neurotic in real life or if she gets typecast because she's so good at it. She's one of my few must-see actresses around. And isn't it a bit stunning to think that Hoffman played Chris O'Donnell's roommate in Scent of a Woman?
I wonder if naming the characters "Jo(h)n" and "Wendy" was a reference to Peter Pan...
