HOW ABOUT YOU – DVD Review

Aren’t old people just the most adorable thing?

In How About You, a sentimental Christmas film adapted from a short story by Maeve Binchy, The Duchess’ Hayley Atwell transforms a bunch of old grouches into fun-loving saps. It’s one of those movies where the cure for misanthropy is snowball fights, some weed, and a good scolding by an adventure-seeking youngster. Surely a film where old people learn to love life again hasn’t been done before!

Kate (Orla Brady) runs a home for the elderly in Ireland. She is the “good” sibling – mature, discipline, and dependable. Her sister Elie (Hayley Atwell), on the other hand, is the out-of-work indulgent screw up that is certainly not reliable enough to look after the home by herself. But when Kate is called away on a family emergency, Elie must do just that. Soon she learns why every other resident but four have left – the remaining occupants are ill-tempered psychopaths.

The four elderly tenants are – Georgia (Vanessa Redgrave), a retired actress who still craves the spotlight; Donald (Joss Ackland), a retired judge who now battles with alcohol; and two sisters, Hazel (Imelda Staunton) and Heather (Brenda Fricker), spinster pool sharks who are in a constant state of bickering. It is Christmas, however, and the five remaining occupants of the home must learn to be a family. Before you know it, they’re dancing, singing, and smoking pot together.

There is a place for films like this one. It’s very slight and sentimental, but ultimately it is (or should be) endearing. But this one offers literally nothing new. If you’re going to use a plot that has been done a thousand times, the least you can do is give us some depth to the characters. Instead, however, it’s easy to assume that even the screenwriter couldn’t give you more than a short paragraph of analysis on each character.

I saw the film not knowing anything about it other than it’s cast. On paper, it certainly has quite the line up, and for the most part they don’t disappoint. Imelda Staunton in particular, who was so great in Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake, seems to have a blast chewing the scenery. For a film this melodramatic, such over-the-top performances are acceptable and expected.

How About You is a film we’ve seen over and over, and for that I can only recommend it if the veteran actresses on the cast appeal to you. If you’re looking for an engaging and insightful story on aging, however, skip this one.

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