Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageMiddle Age Crazy (1980)
Director: John Trent
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Loosely based around a weepie sung by Jerry Lee Lewis, this should have you cringing in the aisles. Dern's Joe Suburbia appears to have everything - a wife (Ann-Margret) whose only consideration is her husband's satisfaction; a son who wants to be an architect; a business (building taco stands) that's thriving; and a ranch-styled villa with a jacuzzi. But in every dream home is a heartache, and Dern gets neurotic when he crosses the middle-age dateline of 39 to 40. All the popular US taboos suddenly strike: the quest for eternal youth ('The future sucks. Stay 18 for the rest of your lives'), the fear of death (Jessica Mitford for the '80s), male menopause (virility means you can score with a younger girl). Although Dern and Ann-Margret struggle valiantly, the cloying sentimentality, the repressive morality, the flabby direction and the scabrous script result in a slice of irredeemable cod.Author: IB
Cast & crew
Director: John Trent
Producer: Ronald I Cohen
Cast: Bruce Dern, Ann-Margret, Graham Jarvis, Deborah Wakeham, Eric Christmas, Helen Hughes, Geoffrey Bowes full cast
Duration: 95 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now