I was hoping for another Best
Exotic Marigold Hotel, but what I got, at best, is a shallow facsimile.
“Unfinished Song,” like other ‘oldster comedies’ has, as its guiding principle,
that aging adults can discover it’s never too late to learn something new. In
good movies, this idea is the starting point. In lazy ones, all we get are
stereotypes (the grump, the free spirit, resentful children, loving caregivers)
and a predictable narrative. So what do we have in this movie? Our free spirit
is Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) and her husband Arthur (Terence Stamp) is the
grump. James (Christopher Eccleston) is their resentful son and Elizabeth
(Gemma Arterton) is the cheerful music teacher at their local senior center and
you really don’t learn much more about these characters. And writer-director
Paul Andrew Williams’ script is way too manipulative as he all but demands that
you pull out your Kleenex to sop your tears.
Though dying of cancer, Marion remains a dedicated member of
the center’s chorus, which is enthusiastically practicing for an upcoming
musical competition. The always cranky Arthur, of course, doesn’t approve, but
you know that somehow he’ll become involved with the group. Redgrave imbues
Marion with a beautiful luminosity and a heart that understands and loves
Arthur. Stamp is understandably bitter as he contemplates life without Marion.
They really do seem like a lifelong couple and they elevate the material.
Watching them turn their clichéd characters into living, breathing people is
the main reason to see “Unfinished Song.”
Note: 2007’s wonderful documentary Young@Heart, about an actual senior chorus, is a much better movie.
They, too, sing contemporary songs, overcome obstacles and grow together. And
no one tries to elicit cheap laughs.
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