ShareThisYou may have listened to James Brown's "I Feel Good" a thousand times by now, but you haven't truly heard the song until you've witnessed it performed by a group of octogenarians in the documentary "Young at Heart."No amount of showbiz flair can match the urgency or earnestness of the lyrics springing from the droopy mouths of stooped seniors. When sung by the Young(at)Heart chorus, made up of members whose average age is 80, a jingly, frivolous tune transforms into a defiant cry of endurance.Life has hurled decades of heartbreak and agony at these people, yet they stand strong and gleeful, living on their feet with renewed vigor rather than slumping exhausted in the corner, waiting out the clock.Remaking a TV documentary he'd previously made, British documentarian Stephen Walker hung out with the Americans for seven weeks, as they learned several new songs in preparation for a new tour.The often-rascally old folks, who flirt, talk trash and crack wise, are coached and corralled by Bob Cilman, the director who challenges the singers to step out of their comfort zones and take on the likes of Coldplay, Sonic Youth and the Clash.Cilman chose his songs brilliantly, not only for a comic juxtaposition effect in seeing old people boogie down to newfangled grooves, but for hidden poignancy in the lyrics. Few of the singers have genuine talent, but they make up for their drawbacks in spunk. They also take great care to enunciate the words, sometimes rapping rather than singing, transforming the music into spoken-word poetry.The raw material, following the singers in private conversation, confessional interviews and impossibly rough training sessions, outshines the artistic choices Walker made to frame his movie. His narration is obvious and overbearing, and he cheapens the film by including mock music videos starring his subjects, which are as poorly made as those filler group-song segments on "American Idol."But because Walker earned such intimate access, he can't steer wrong. As you'd expect in a story about people this old, there is a touch of tragedy on the horizon, as well as gleaming examples of dogged perseverance in spite of hardship and loss.As these wise crooners teach, that's what life is all about.3.5 stars out of 4Rated: PG for some mild language and thematic elements.Family call: Good for all ages.Running time: 109 minutes.(Contact Phil Villarreal at Pvillarreal(at)azstarnet.com)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
A joyful song of perseverance
Paying taxes unites us. It also divides us. People can pay five and even six times more in state and local taxes than other folks in similar circumstances making similar incomes.
Who's got your number?
In one of the fastest-growing forms of identity theft, crooks are stealing tax refunds by swiping personal information and using it to trick the Internal Revenue Service.
