Thursday, June 18, 2015

I'll See You In My Dreams (Rhoades)

Front Row at the Movies


“I’ll See You In My Dreams” Won’t Leave You Rested

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades


What do you do when all your friends are in a retirement home, you’re a widow with little to do but play cards, and your dog has just died?

Well, you could befriend the pool guy. Or try speed dating. Or fall for a lanky, laconic millionaire.

Carol (Blythe Danner) tries all three in “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” the new dramedy playing at Tropic Cinema.

Is director-writer Brett Haley trying to depress you?

No. As Carol’s estranged daughter Katherine (Marlin Ackerman) explains, you should be focusing on what you have now, not what you’ve lost.

Easier said than done.

But Carol does have her friends (June Squibb, Mary Kay Place, and Rhea Perlman), the trio acting kind of like a Greek chorus in this attempt to turn Tragedy into Comedy.

Carol makes beautiful music with the pool guy (Martin Starr). You see, he’s really a songwriter and she’s a singer of sorts. Then she does that speed dating thing, an experience so awful you’ll find it funny. And then there’s the millionaire (Sam Elliot) who steals her heart with a wink and a smile.

So why aren’t we smiling?

Maybe we should be. Sometimes life’s so depressing there’s nothing left to do but smile.

srhoades@aol.com

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