May 9 - 16, 1 9 9 6

Young at Hearts

The prospects of old age and death seem downright charming in Don Campbell's Young at Hearts, a "non-fiction feature" about six elderly women who play cards and bond in Los Angeles. Campbell's methods might be dubious -- the film looks like a documentary, though the events are re-enacted -- and his flashback structure makes it seem like a Jewish octogenarian version of The Joy Luck Club. But his women are all delightful, perhaps because their reminisces lack the melodramatic angst of Amy Tan's bestseller. Between car shopping and surprise birthday parties, these spirited characters live an enviably rich life. Despite Campbell's well-intended tamperings and tendency to gloss over the dark edges, the luminous vitality of his subjects shines through. They are epitomized by "late-bloomer" Ida Engel, whose life began at 85 when she sang "Second-Hand Rose" on The Gong Show. Her number, like the movie, is a knockout. At the Coolidge Corner.

-- Peter Keough