Doomtomylo
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Mary Doyle
I found the movie, drawn out and boring. Even though Jane Fonda's character lived on the same street as Robert Redford's character for 45 years they really hadn't much in common with the exception of being a widow and a widower , so when Jane arrives at Redford's door late one night and asks to talk to him, he is even surprised and seems a little more than awkward when she suggests that he share her bed at night (sleep only) as it is so lonely being on their own .
Maybe both Fonda and Redford thought this would be their "On Golden Pond" moment, I really don't know , but for me it was tedious to get through. Some may find it endearing or even romantic, it was just flat without the fizz. I'm not a great fan of Fonda and seeing her face stretched to capacity from plastic surgery didn't help the experience.
Howard Schumann
Not since "The Electric Horseman" in 1979 have we had the distinct pleasure of seeing two outstanding actors, Robert Redford ("Pete's Dragon"), now 81, and Jane Fonda ("Grace and Frankie," TV series), 79, working together in the same film. That situation has now changed with the release of Our Souls at Night, directed by Ritesh Batra whose recent film "The Lunchbox" received much critical acclaim. Adapted by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber from a novel by the late Kent Haruf, Our Souls at Night was shown at the Venice Film Festival then went directly to Netflix, a move that in today's multi-layered media environment is not reflective of the film's quality, but only its box office potential. Set in a fictional small town in Colorado close to the Rocky Mountains, two elderly neighbors, Louis Waters (Redford) and Addie Moore (Fonda) are widows whose days and nights are marked by loneliness. When the taciturn Waters hears a knock on the door and opens it to find a nervous looking Addie whom he barely knows, he knows that something unusual is about to happen. After much hemming and hawing, Addie tells him that that her nights are very long and that she needs companionship, someone to converse with. Louis is surprised to say the least when she blurts out the question, "Would you be interested in coming over and sleeping with me?" Of course, as she explains, she means sleeping as in a "sleep-over" rather than sleeping as in - well - sleeping together. After a few minutes of interminable silence, he tells her that he needs time to think it over as if he is considering buying her wicker chair. After his daily breakfast meeting with a group of fellow members of the "seen better days" club led by Dorlan Becker (Bruce Dern), he calls Addie to tell her that he has decided to come over that evening. Carrying pajamas and toothbrush in a paper bag like a child heading off to school, he stealthily makes his way to the back door and knocks quietly to make sure that no one in the gossipy town will have a subject to discuss. To say that their first night together was awkward is like saying that there are a few mountains in Colorado. With nothing to talk about except the weather (always a scintillating topic of conversation), the new friends quickly turn out their lights and turn over in bed, most likely thinking that maybe this was not such a good idea after all. Things loosen up after a few nights, however, and they begin to share with each other some painful memories about past relationships and how it affected their children. Louis speaks of regrets about how he left his wife and daughter for an affair with a young teacher and the sadness of his wife's last years fighting cancer. Addie reveals that her daughter was killed in an accident and how that changed her relationship with her son Gene (Matthias Schoenaerts, "Red Sparrow"). Since Louis' circle of elderly agitators seem to already know what is going on, the two decide to throw caution to the wind and walk together in town openly, even going to lunch together at a nearby restaurant. Once Gene and Louis' daughter Holly (Judy Greer, "The 15:17 to Paris") become involved, however, the drama intensifies. When Gene tells his mother that his wife has left him, he brings his seven-year-old son, Jamie (Ian Armitage, "The Glass Castle") to her house, asking that she look after him until his wife returns. Noticing that the boy is struggling, Louis takes him to a dog shelter where they pick out a dog that Jamie is attached to. Building a train set together, going to a baseball game, and going on a camping trip cements their relationship, but fate has a way of intervening. Our Souls at Night is not a "chick flick" or a film that only those who are close to the end of life can appreciate. It is not only a perfect vehicle for Redford and Fonda but a film that will strike a responsive chord with anyone regardless of age who is ready to risk discovering what more life has to offer.
