My husband and I recently viewed three movies with old men, two in leading roles and one making a scene-stealing appearance as a minor character. Old Man with a Gun and Mule each had similar premise–old guy who has neglected his family for years in pursuit of pleasure and thrills.

Robert Redford in Old Man with a Gun is charming as a man who has been in and out of prison many times, often for robbing banks. He has never shot anyone and part of the reason he does it is for the thrill. The bank managers and tellers he robs all say that he seems like a gentleman and that he is happy. When he meets a woman with whom he strikes up a friendship, he lets down his guard, and ends up in prison one more time. But the woman (Sissy Spacek) waits for him and provides him with a place to stay when he is released. That’s a simplistic summary, but the movie is more of a character study than an action movie–a character study of the old bank robber and of the police detective who finds him. The detective becomes involved at a time when he is questioning his satisfaction with being on the police force, and catching this gentleman robber becomes his goal. Based loosely on a true story, this is an interesting look at ageing and the ideals that drive people to choose criminality. Redford is charming and still handsome, although there are a few too many close ups for me, and the movie did seem to drag somewhat. There is no violence, and I can’t remember if there’s any profanity.

Clint Eastwood, both as actor and director, in Mule creates a different sort of criminal, one who becomes a criminal unknowingly. He has lost his business, his wife and daughter won’t talk to him, and he needs a job. When a young man asks if he can drive well, he accepts the one-time job of delivering something. Obviously, it’s drugs that he is delivering, but, when he sees the amount of money he is making, he makes the choice to continue doing drug runs, even though it becomes increasingly clear that he is dealing with very dangerous people. He uses the money he makes to, in my mind, absolve himself of the selfish behavior he has shown his family over the years. This movie was not at all what I expected based on the trailer I had seen. There is a good deal of humor associated with his reaction to some of the situations in which he finds himself. There is no graphic violence–there is a shooting and one dead body, but very little blood and nothing I had to turn away from. I enjoyed the movie, although, here’s a warning: one of my friends felt like it made criminal activity acceptable. I don’t agree because the old man does pay a price, but be forewarned.

If I had to pick my favorite between the above two movies, I would go with Mule; however, my real favorite is Dick Van Dyke’s cameo in Mary Poppins Returns, a delightful continuation of the original Mary Poppins. Emily Blunt is a no-nonsense nanny who has returned to the home of her former charges. Although she is there ostensibly for their children, it becomes clear that their father and his sister need help as well. Lin Manuel-Miranda makes being a lamplighter look like a wonderful career as he sings and dances and shows the children and Mary Poppins the city of London. The songs are lovely, especially one about things that are lost, and the dancing is energetic and fun to watch. The third old man, Van Dyke, makes his appearance where he wows the audience by dancing as though he were decades younger than the 90+ years that he really is. If you want some great family viewing that may bring a few feels, I highly recommend Mary Poppins Returns.

 

Up for possible viewing this weekend are Bohemian Rhapsody and The Upside.