‘Dreams’ gracefully examines age
Hollywood frequently embraces the angst and excitement young people face growing up. “I’ll See You in My Dreams” is a beautiful and smart coming-of-old-age film.
The production from director Brett Haley shows that as people grow older, they begin to think about the good and bad of life. They are looking at a shorter future, but the emotions of facing those years are just as deep and compelling.
Carol Petersen (Blythe Danner) is facing such a moment. She’s lived a long life as wife, musician, mother, teacher and friend. The death of her husband has left her in a rut.
She begins to wonder if her remaining years can be spent in a more productive way than just playing a few rounds of golf and cards with her friends. But she will have to open herself up to emotions that in the past have come with some pain.
Carol gets the courage to try living life differently when she befriends her pool cleaner, Lloyd (Martin Starr). He’s the first step to an awakening that even includes dating.
Bill (Sam Elliott) is a charming suitor who helps Carol find new life. But the excitement is short lived, and Carol must face the harsh realities that come with growing old.
Danner turns in a masterful performance as a woman who has spent years trying to find the safe tempo of life. Signs of hope, fear, uncertainty and joy pour out of Danner in every scene.
It doesn’t matter if she’s paired with a young man who is looking for a friend, an older man looking for a few happy moments or a group of old friends who have not given up on the zest of life. Danner rises to meet each pairing with beauty, charm and grace. Her growth never seems forced or rushed.
Starr faced one of the tougher challenges, playing the younger man in Carol’s life. He had to find the right tone to suggest he might be interested in her as more than a friend but never to the point that this would feel like an updated version of the May-December romance in “Harold & Maude.” He finds the right balance.
Haley and co-screen writer Marc Basch have found a smooth consistency to the blend of sadness and joy. They are a little heavy-handed with using a black rat as a metaphor for the bad things that creep into Carol’s life. But that’s a small glitch in what is overall a solid story.
“I’ll See You in My Dreams” deals with a lot of questions about life and death. There are no grand answers – only a suggestion that it’s OK to look back as long as you don’t give up on the continued possibilities of what lies ahead.