Hollywood Reviews and Movie Trivia

"Boynton Beach Club", is a romantic comedy involving baby boomers and life after 60 and scores a B...

I'm a boomer and grew up with a lot of the actors in "Boynton Beach Club" and I have to admit, a lot of them look very good! The original title of "Boynton Beach Bereavement Club" was shortened with the dropping of the word 'bereavement' which I think was a good idea. The movie addresses so much more than just the loss of a loved one. It covers a milieu of situations and circumstances that can be major issues when one becomes a senior.

The story takes place at a Boynton Beach (Florida) retirement community, and introduces us to six characters as they make new friends and, in some cases, strike up romances. The central characters are members of the "Boynton Beach Bereavement Club," which is a support group for those who have recently lost a loved one, usually a spouse. The latest members are Jack (Len Cariou), who has just lost his wife after being married for over forty years, and Marilyn (Brenda Vaccaro), whose husband, while out for his usual 'speed walk', is run over. While at the club for their first meeting, they meet members Lois (Dyan Cannon), who lost both her husband and a child during the last ten years. And Harry (Joseph Bologna), a widower who's back in the dating game. There's also Sandy (Sally Kellerman), whose loss we learn, isn't the death loss that a member usually suffers and is working on coping with it. And, there's Donald (Michael Nouri), (and not giving away a vital plot twist) isn't a member of the bereavement club, but is connected to both Lois and Marilyn.

Boynton Beach Club, sometimes loosely and sometimes very directly, deals with a lot of the social and real issues of aging. Viagra is dealt with briefly, and the loss of loved ones is handled with humor and a lot of dignity. We get a keen insight into how the characters put their lives back together, and how other family members like sons and daughters and grandchildren handle the changes to the lives of the their elders. There's one scene that deals with how a daughter, who's shocked that her father is dating after her mother's death.

"Boynton Beach Club" has six strong performances from the veteran actors. Brenda Vaccaro as Marilyn is convincing with her character's loss as the central theme of the movie. Joseph Bologna, who makes us care about Lothario who is more harmless than he seems. Len Cariou's character of Jack has a lot of heart and we want good things to happen for him. Michael Nouri, at 60 still has the charm of a leading man. Dyan Cannon, looks down right sexy as Lois! And Sally Kellerman, in her late 60's, proves how gutsy and sexy she is with a topless scene! Without the thought that "Boynton Beach Club" is about boomers, its a romantic comedy about people who come together, go through a few changes, and find love, which, after all, is what living life is really all about, no matter how old you are. I'm a boomer, and I'm having the time of my life!

Grade: B