Susan Granger’s review of “I’ll See You in My Dreams” (Beecker Street)
Appealing to a primarily geriatric audience, this gentle chick flick follows 70ish widowed Carol Peterson (Blythe Danner), whose husband died in an airplane crash 20 years ago; his insurance payoff hastened her relocation to a small home near a retirement community in Southern California.
Placidly determined to retain her independence while many of her friends are urging her to share their condominium complex, Carol enjoys the company of her aged dog Hazel, gardening, playing bridge and an occasional visit with her daughter (Malin Akerman). But when Hazel dies, Carol realizes how lonely she really is.
That’s why she strikes up a conversation with Lloyd (Martin Starr), the amiable, young poet who cleans her pool. A former singer and teacher, Carol opens up to him as one sip of chardonnay leads to another, then an apple martini, and soon they’re warbling in a karaoke bar.
Spotted by sassy Rona (Mary Kay Place), one of her gal pals, Carol reluctantly agrees to attend a senior citizen “speed dating” event and gives her phone number to Bill (gravelly-voiced Sam Elliott), a courtly newcomer to the community who has just bought a boat that’s anchored nearby.
When Rona and her other chums (Rhea Perlman, June Squibb) sample some medical marijuana, she joins them, breaking into goofy giggles as they’re stopped by a local cop as they walk back from a munchie run to the village market.
Written as a naturalistic dramedy by Marc Basch and director/editor Brett Haley with a running gag about a rat, its primary asset is radiantly elegant Blythe Danner, who creates a mature, nuanced character whose experiences and reactions touch a universal chord.
“People talk about living in the moment, like it’s some kind of a goal,” she muses. “What does that even mean?”
When Danner sings the Julie London favorite, “Cry Me a River,” it evokes memories of “Duets,” which was directed by her late, real-life husband, Bruce Paltrow, and starred their daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “I’ll See You in My Dreams” is a bittersweet 6, disarmingly reminiscent of an episode of TV’s “Golden Girls.”
