Youth Review

6 out 10

Youth Cast:

Michael Caine as Fred Ballinger

Harvey Keitel as Mick Boyle

Rachel Weisz as Lena Ballinger

Paul Dano as Jimmy Tree

Jane Fonda as Brenda Morel

Directed by Paolo Sorrentino

Story: 

Youth is the story of two aging friends – world renowned composer Fred (Michael Caine) and famous movie director Mick (Harvey Kietel) – who are on vacation in an expensive Swiss resort contemplating their lives and potential career moves. They deal with anxieties past and present, and with the quirks of the diverse and eccentric guests of the hotel.

Analysis:

In 2013, famed Italian director Paolo Sorrentino made a movie called The Great Beauty about an aging, famous writer who contemplates his life, his lost loves, and the meaningless of existence. In an opening scene, after quoting obscure lines about pain, strength, and life journeys, a party takes place on a dark rooftop featuring a loud performance by a band. Bizarre events follow it—people jump off things, birds are seen to fly. Unnecessarily sexual montages pepper the film, with the main characters’ many women parading across the movie. Artsy dialogues complete the frame, as the lead and his cohorts discuss the meaning of life. The movie was a critical success and went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Why am I discussing another movie in a review of the movie Youth? Well, in 2015, even more famous Paolo Sorrentino (whose Oscar netted him the ability to work with, among others, Michael Caine and Jane Fonda), made a movie called Youth, about two famous artists–one a movie director, the other a composer–who contemplate their lives, their lost loves, and the meaningless of existence while vacationing in a beautiful Swiss chalet.

In an opening scene, after quoting obscure lines about pain, strength, and life journeys, a loud performance by a singer cuts into the dark garden where the guests dally. Bizarre events follow it—people jump off things, a woman inexplicably slaps her husband, a strange rock climber enters the picture. Unnecessarily sexual montages pepper the film (which is laced with beautiful but still pointlessly naked women), with many sexy women parading across the screen. Artsy dialogues complete the frame, as the two leads and the other guests discuss the meaning of life and the future of their respective arts. The movie has, so far, been mostly a critical success.

Get my drift?

Aside from the obvious lack of originality from one movie to the next, my main problem with Youth is the self-indulgent nature of the characters. The problem that these exceedingly rich people have while vacationing in an ultra-luxurious resort seem almost impossible to connect with. I get that we all have problems, but these characters make no attempt at evoking any sympathy. They are, at bottom, pampered brats, where I think the director wanted to go more for “tortured artistic souls.”

The saving graces of the movie are the acting and the beautiful scenery. Caine and Keitel have a lot of chemistry together as life-long friends, Rachel Weisz is charming as Caine’s somewhat unstable daughter, and Jane Fonda has a brief but explosive and convincing appearance. Perhaps it is only Paul Dano who sort of mails it in with yet another quirky but misunderstood character act.

The sprawling shots and scenes of the Swiss Alps are breathtaking, and the movie is undoubtedly impeccably put together. The lighting in every scene is purposeful and mood-altering, the art direction is flawless, and the cinematography is at times stunning. As a lesson in movie making—acting plus tech—the movie is close to a masterpiece.

But the story simply feels too contrived. The lines feel forced at times into small comedic vignettes, punch line after punch line into what devolves into a hopelessly self-indulgent, artsy for the point of being artsy performance. The movie is pleasant to watch as far as it goes, but it is not memorable in any significant way.

Bottom Line: 

Older audiences will thoroughly enjoy this film, and it will undoubtedly get some traction at the Academy Awards. It is a bit too self-indulgent for my taste, but the performances are enjoyable and worth watching.

Youth played at the Toronto International Film Festival before its release in select cities on December 4.

Review by @jdonbirnam