I didn't know what to expect when I read the label. Some elderly people singing the songs of Coldplay and Jimi Hendrix. OK, sounds like a fun movie. It was without a doubt the most moving movie I've seen as far as I could remember! And I was not at all prepared for that.It makes you stop and really think about life, and what you're doing with it and where it's heading for you.It's uplifting and sad at the same time. The prison scene did it for me. But if anyone reads these comments and are scared away by the words "sad" or "depressing", TRUST ME... you will not regret watching this.I also loved the "music videos". They really helped make this movie enjoyable to watch.My only negative reactions (with the reality, not the film)... and this is definitely a spoiler, was Bob's ego. Especially when playing in front of a live audience. I felt that he should have been either offstage or at least off to the side. I couldn't believe he had a mike and was singing in the front. He just didn't belong there out in front.

It would be easy to mock the idea with Young @ Heart: in Northampton, MA, a group of old people (I won't call them senior citizens, they're physically aged) are in a singing group led by a guy thirty years more or less their junior, and the twist is that they sing songs of the classic/hard rock vein, the kinds of songs that when they were first released were more than likely not their cups of tea. They sometimes forget the words, or whole beats or the rhythm, for weeks at a time (one in particular is a shaky bet for performing "I've Got You" from James Brown). Some of them are in ill-health, as is a sad-but-true part of their day to day lives as a possibility to them or their friends. And They end up traveling not just in America but Europe (once even to Norway royalty) to perform their concerts.But after the first five minutes, this is no mocking American Idol type of affair. This is because there's no stupid reality show contest at the end, or any kind of real goal to be met as part of a fantasy. It's all about self-expression, and as a means to keep one wanting to live day to day. The people in the group have to deal with members of their group (two during just the running time of the film) dying off from their health conditions, and they wouldn't want it any other way than to commit to the old "the show must go on" creedo. What sets Young @ Heart apart from the pack is its understanding of what should be essential to a well-done story of people-getting-ready-for-a-concert story, which is real humor and tragedy with a conscience. There is no real ego with these performers, unlike so many in other movies; the mortal coil is only so far away to get self-absorbed.So the director Stephen Walker gets us invested in the performers to the point of astonishment. It's not very technically polished- it was shot on video and transferred to film, and not high quality digital video either- but what it lacks in finesse it makes up for with humanism. We meet and care what happens to these folks, be they the 92 year old Eileen Hall who flirts with director Walker, or the talented Joe Benoit who's been through multiple rounds of chemo, or Fred Knittle who is on oxygen support but still wants to perform one last time at the concert, or Lenny who is the only one who can drive other members. Aside from moments that are by hook or crook amusing (if only in moments that are too sweet to be exploitive), or with those nutty music video renditions of songs like "Golden Years", we see the process of the rehearsals, the concerts (one of which, the same day they learn of one member's passing on, at a prison), the pressure of learning complex numbers from the likes of Sonic Youth.It all builds to such an emotional beat that never falters because the director looks on through the initial oddball appeal of the group and directs his attention at how fragile life is itself. Just knowing that some may have passed on since the film was finished (in fact one of them, the 92 year old, did die before the film was released in the US) is saddening, but somehow the experience of Young @ Heart is overall hopeful. If one can just sing, to put in the discipline and physical and mental work needed to memorize and perform rock and roll songs, then maybe there's some purpose left in those last years. For those who love a story meant to uplift the soul, it's a must-see, if not perfect as a documentary. 9.5/10

(Synopsis) Over the last 25 years, there has existed a group of senior citizens living in Northampton, Massachusetts, who refuse to let age and ill health get them down. Young@Heart is a documentary based on the lives of the current singing group of 24 senior citizens, brought to the big screen by British filmmaker, Stephen Walker, who saw their performance in London. Young@Heart is not your ordinary singing chorus, because they sing rock, punk, disco, and the average age is 81 with the oldest being 92 year old Eileen Hall. The documentary follows the group over a six-week rigorous rehearsal schedule, plus practicing at home for an upcoming sold out concert in their home town. The group has many songs in their repertoire, but Bob Cilman, the stern but sympathetic chorus director, has added several songs for the new concert. These are not easy for the group to learn such as "Yes We Can," "Schizophrenia" and "I Got You or (I Feel Good)". After several weeks of practice, the group is on their way to the local jail to give a performance, when they learn that one of their members passed away the night before. It is devastating for them, but they have learned that the show must go on. They all pull together and practice even harder to get ready for their evening performance. That night, their concert is a rousing success, and ends with a standing ovation.(My Comment) This movie is for people who want to see the real thing. Several of the senior citizens in this documentary open up their lives to us. You get to know them in just a few minutes, and you know that they are good people. The songs that they sing are not from their generation, yet they are willing to try something new. The seniors believe the old saying, "Use it or lose it," and that is why they love singing in the chorus. Plus with perseverance and teamwork, they have become part of a second family. I laughed, smiled, tapped my foot, and even shed a few tears during the whole movie. I saw the movie twice: The first time I liked it, and the second time, I loved it. The younger audiences may not get it, but I know the adult audience will understand and love it. Young@Heart is truly an inspirational, entertaining, heart-felt, and wonderful documentary. This is an incredible story that needed to be told. You will absolutely love Fred Knittle's rendition of Coldplay's "Fix You." This is one of those sleeper movies you will hear about. (Fox Searchlight, Run Time 1:47, Rated PG)(10/10)

A few weeks ago, I spied a headline stating that the oldest Americans are also the happiest. I didn't read the article to see exactly why this is, but I suspect that "Young @ Heart" provides at least a partial answer. In this smile-inducing documentary, we see a group of retirees between the ages of 73 and 92 getting together a few times a week to sing songs they don't know and bond with each other in a way most of us without excessive free time can't conceive of.Bob Cilman is the the leader of the Young at Hear chorus of Northampton, MA. He is a stern but sympathetic taskmaster who once a year gives the choir new songs to learn--mostly R&B and soul classics from the '60's through the early '70's, and punk & new wave tunes from the mid-'70's to the present. At first this seems funny and weird. The film plays off of this expectation by opening with the oldest choir member doing a deadpan rendition of the Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go", and including a tongue-in-cheek video of the choir's version of the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated".Although most of the songs the choir performs are over-familiar to those of us under 60, the choir members grew up before the dawn of the classic rock era, and aren't familiar with music created after 1959. Their tastes in music range from classical to show tunes, not R&B or punk. But they participate not only for the camaraderie, but to keep their minds limber in their old age. They know as well as anyone that it gets harder to learn the older one gets, and after about 55 or so it becomes impossible unless one acquires good mental habits, such as doing puzzles, journal-writing, or trying to sing songs one doesn't really know. And this is why Cilman chooses the songs he does. The R&B tunes (which the choir members love) are rhythmically complex, but have simple lyrics. And the punk tunes (which the choir members hate) have complex lyrics, but simple rhythms and melodies.The main focus of the film is the choir's trying to learn three new songs: "Yes We Can" by Allen Toussaint, "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown, and "Schizophrenia" by Sonic Youth. But the emotional core of the film is their learning of a fourth song--"Fix You" by Coldplay--after the deaths of two choir members (a third member died during post-production).I laughed, cried, and smiled throughout the whole film. And it was a bit jolting to know that in just a few years, the thought of old people singing rock music won't be such a novelty. After all, their repertoire include Allen Toussaint, James Brown, and the Jefferson Airplane--all of whom were born seventy or more years ago. The only bits I didn't like are where director Stephen Walker tries to get a laugh at the expense of the choir: He flirts with a 92-year-old woman and sneers at the driving skills of one of the few choir members who still has his own car.But overall, this is a tribute to the power of music and friendship to transcend age, infirmity and even mortality to make the end of life worth living. 9 out of 10.