It would be easy to say that this film is just one for those who are fans of Kate Hepburn- and certainly Kate's fans will be in for a treat- but it's a lovely film as a whole, topped off by two beautiful performances in Kate Hepburn and Harold Gould.
To be perfectly honest, the script lacks in parts, and the supporting characters are very cliched, with the acting mostly stereotyped. But then, there's Kate. Kate makes the picture worth seeing. Her performance is simply beautiful- she portrays the helplessness of old age with such tenderness, and fills us with joy at her desire to live out her last years to the best of her ability, and to find some joy late in life. She portrays Margaret Delafield, a woman of a certain age, who, after a near- death experience falls in love with the doctor that brings her back to health. Much to the objections of both their families, they decide to marry anyway, because, as Margaret says, "I won't live in sin!" It's witty and lovely and Kate simply lights up the screen. She manages to lose none of the tough on- screen persona that dominated so many of her great roles, but at the same time, she brings a real tenderness to the performance, a tenderness that sometimes was missing from her earlier movies. In one scene she describes to her neighbour a late- night kiss from her doctor, and her eyes light up as she talks of how wonderful it was- it's a really beautiful moment. For a brief minute, we forget we are watching a 79 year old woman- she could be 15, if we were just judging the pure innocent happiness shining through in her eyes.
If you're a fan of Kate, then you mustn't miss this. If you don't know much about her, see it anyway- it's just a really lovely performance. And Harold Gould is great, too! But it's all about Kate- it's her film, and she carries it brilliantly.
