Youth (2015)

For my 100th movie on the 100th day in this series I was wanting something a little special to mark this huge milestone. Oops. Not to worry, I will chose better for my 200th movie.

Youth had so much promise, with

Michael Caine and

Harvey Keitel as two aging friends, at a spa retreat in the Swiss Alps. Quirky and stylistic, we followed these pair as they wrestle with what is their last professional outing. Caine is maestro conductor who is coaxed to giving one last performance in front of the Queen. Keitel is a movie director who wants to his one last movie made and in the can.

They both bump into a variety of surreal characters who find themselves at the same retreat for a variety of reasons.

Paul Dano plays the hip young actor (think Shia LaBeouf – who he incidentally looks very alike) who represents the old boys career beginning. He is there for them to bounce off and realize opportunities taken and also lost.

Many a cameo creeps in, including a wonderful piece by the beautiful quirky Paloma Faith who plays herself, when the son decides to date a pop star.

The movie tries far too hard to be a mood piece. Drawn out scenes that never seem to get to the point, lots of lingering shots on people standing around (sometimes nude granted so not as bad as it could have been) and basically you are left wondering if you have missed anything.

There is one particular scene with

Rachel Weisz sitting on a sun lounger while she talks with her new mountaineer. The problem is that the scene switches between two cameras – one in front of her, one behind her. However the continuity is so ridiculously out of sync as her hand moves on each scene you can’t help but be drawn to it.

The movie could have been great, but failed.

#100 in the series