25/42
He’s not dead
Plot
A lonely boy who lives with his parents' A nursing home explores his obsession with the afterlife through his friendship with an aging magician.. Elizabeth Spriggs’ (Prudence) last film. She died during post-production. Some think that Dad’s party mustache is a continuity error when he shaved it off that morning. It’s a fancy dress party, though, and Dad’s obviously wearing a fake mustache to match his costume… Edward: [reads the tombstone] “Samuel Peet.
their later years
He’s just sleeping.” Clarence: Huh. When he wakes up, he will be upset. Ebert & the Movies: 17 Again/State of Play/Grey Gardens/Je tu niekto?/Zem (2009). The Strange World of Arthur C Clarke Written by Alan Hawkshaw Published by ITV Productions / EMI Music Publishing Ltd. Courtesy of ITV Productions Ltd. Most great actors, when they feel like they’ve amassed a great body of work, tend to rest on their laurels and spout pretty standard stuff.
However, Michael Caine seems to have taken the opposite route
Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro seem to be doing it lately with "Hide & Search" and “88 minutes”; not to mention their joint effort "Righteous Kill" while Laurence Olivier pioneered this process long ago with such beauties as "The Jazz Singer" and “The Betsy”. While his long career is littered with a few minor classics, it’s also flooded with some big shit. In fact, between "Sleuth" (1972) and – "Sleuth" (2007) was “The Man Who Would Be King”; –"Hannah and her sisters" – “Mona Lisa” but there was also “Ruka” – "The Swarm" – "Jaws: Revenge" – "Blame it on Rio" (a lot) etc. Recently, however, Michael Caine clearly feels that he has earned money and can afford to be much more selective in choosing roles. He has had a steady stream of well-received performances in well-received films and has become an integral part of the revived Batman franchise. His last choice is perhaps one of his best performances.
But Clarence’s Alzheimer’s worsens and he becomes increasingly forgetful when it matters most
In the section "Is there someone" plays "The Amazing Clarence" a former magician who, much against his will, is forced to move into a retirement home due to increasing dementia. The nursing home is also home to 10-year-old Edward, whose parents own and run the place. He is just as unhappy about this as Clarence, and a prickly friendship is inevitably formed between the (very) shameful old man and the (very) cheeky boy. Edward is fascinated by death and ghosts, which is not surprising given his background, and Clarence teaches him magic tricks to try to get him out of this morbidity and to encourage him to make friends with children his own age. Edward really starts to impress his classmates with his magic tricks (especially those involving fire) and decides to throw a birthday party at home – with Clarence as entertainment. This is a beautifully acted film by Caine and Bill Milner as Edward.
The film is full of black humor, but it is never condescending and often very touching
Anne-Marie Duff and David Morrissey give solid performances as the parents, while the residents of the house are played by a number of established faces, including Leslie Phillips as a man with a penchant for telling very dirty jokes – especially to members of the clergy. While Clarence’s decline is a bit quick – more of a descent into complete senility than a descent – it’s still very well handled and ultimately leads to a very moving finale.