Young@Heart

Put Young@Heart on your must-see list. You’ll love watching this documentary of a group of senior citizens singing everything from “Should I Stay or Should I Go” to “Purple Haze.” There’s not the slightest hint of mockery or condescension – chorus director Bob Cilman takes his job seriously and passionately, and it is amazing to hear these folks sing, both in rehearsals and on stage.

At times, it is as funny as Trekkies (definitely my all-time favorite documentary), but unlike that one, Young@Heart has moments of genuine poignancy, such as when more than one of the members (some of whom are in their nineties) pass away, and the survivors struggle to deal with the loss while on the tour bus. I doubt you’ll forget Dylan’s "Forever Young" performed in a prison yard. The looks of both regret and hope on their faces as the young men there listen to the words are worth the price of admission all by itself.

I have to admit that the first time I’d ever heard “Fix You” by Coldplay was while watching this film. An elderly man sits on stage, and it takes a few moments before you realize that the steady clicking sound is coming from his oxygen machine. He sings these words beautifully:

And the tears come streaming down your face

When you lose something you can't replace

When you love someone, but it goes to waste

Could it be worse?

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, and that goes for my house, too. It’s definitely worth a look.