22 The Independent | The Herald
April 2, 2015
Review: `While We’re Young’ finds insight, laughs in aging By Jocelyn Noveck
Associated Press
It’s safe to say there aren’t a lot of movies out there about reaching middle age gracefully and happily. And how could there be? The only thing worse than getting old, as the saying goes, is the alternative. But at least we have the movies — the good ones, anyway — to make us laugh about this fraught, undignified experience. And few recent films have done it better than Noah Baumbach’s deliciously sharp and touching “While We’re Young.” It seems apt indeed that Baumbach’s star here, Ben Stiller, is 49 in real life — the age at which one finally, truly cannot deny having, SOMEHOW, reached middle age. In a minor but hilarious exchange, Stiller’s 40-something character, Josh Srebnick, is told he has arthritis. Surely, Josh protests with utter guilelessness, it’s not “arthritis arthritis” — it’s some other kind. “It’s arthritis, and usually I only say it once,” the doctor replies.
Josh is a documentary filmmaker who’s been working on the same project for a decade, about a subject so dense and academic and boring we can’t explain it here. He’s married to Cornelia (Naomi Watts, doing some of her best work in years), who also works on documentaries, assisting her father, a legendary documentarian played by the wonderful Charles Grodin. You may think that’s enough documentarians for one movie, but you’d be wrong: the film’s dream casting also includes Adam Driver as Jamie, a 20-ish, ambitious documentarian-wannabe. While the Josh-Jamie dynamic will be essential to the film’s ruminations on aging, “While We’re Young” is also about a marriage. The wrinkle for Josh and Cornelia is that they don’t have kids, at an age when babymaking — particularly in babycentric Brooklyn — is the chief activity of all their friends. Alone at home, Josh and Cornelia speak defiantly (and unconvincingly) of the advantages of baby-free life. “We could go to Paris tomorrow if we wanted to!” she says. He agrees, while noting — with
middle-aged practicality — that it would be hard to get the best airfares at such short notice. One day, the free-spirited Jamie and his pretty wife, Darby (Amanda Seyfried), attend a class Josh is giving, introducing themselves as big fans of his previous film. Josh is flattered of course, and soon he and Cornelia are dining with the younger couple. One dinner leads to more. The older folks become intoxicated with the youngsters’ free-wheeling, impossibly hip lifestyle. The details here are delicious. Darby makes artisanal ice cream, and does hiphop aerobics. For fun, the couple explores abandoned subway tunnels. Their hipness has reached such an advanced state that they’re totally retro: They watch old VHS tapes, play board games, use typewriters; Jamie even speaks like someone out of a 1950s novel, beginning sentences with “Say ...” Josh and Cornelia, in contrast, scan their iPads constantly, watch shows on Hulu and check texts every minute. When, at one point, the foursome can’t
AREA CLUBS
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Political
ARAPAHOE COUNTY Republican Breakfast Club meets the first Wednesday of each month at Maggiano’s DTC, 7401 S. Clinton St., Englewood. Breakfast buffet opens at 6:45 a.m. and program lasts from 7:15-8:30 a.m. Contact Myron Spanier, 303-877-2940; Mort Marks, 303770-6147; Nathan Chambers, 303-804-0121; or Cliff Dodge, 303-909-7104.
change. Meetings are usually the second Monday of each month, September through May, at Southglenn Library, Vine and University, Centennial. Social time is followed by business meeting and informative speakers on variety of subjects. Call Linda Joseph at 303-794-8630.
AMERICAN BUSINESS Women’s Associa-
tion meets on the second Wednesday each month at 6:30 p.m. welcoming women, working or not, to Success Chapter programs for success and positive living. Call Lori Smith at 303688-3100 ext. 360 or e-mail loris@intermountain-rea.com for upcoming speakers and events at Marriott Denver South, 10345 Park Meadows Drive, Littleton.
BNI CONNECTIONS (www.thebniconnections.
Professional
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION of University
Women, Littleton-South Metro Branch invites baccalaureates to participate in activities that further the goals of equity for women and girls, lifelong education and positive societal
com) invites business owners to attend its meeting held each Tuesday, 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Lone Tree Recreation Center, 10249 Ridgegate Circle. There is no charge to attend a meeting as a guest. Please visit www.thebniconnections.com or contact Jack Rafferty, 303-414-2363 or jrafferty@hmbrown.com.
CERTUS PROFESSIONAL Network meets for its Littleton networking event from 9:30-11 a.m. the fourth Thursday of the month at Panera Bread, 3702 River Point Parkway, Littleton. Build your network, grow your business, network less. Our events are structured to connect professionals with the resources, power partners and leaders to expand their business and the business of others. Open to all industries, includes 30 minutes of open networking and organized introductions to the group. Cost: $12 non-CERTUS members at the door. First participants pay half price. RSVP not required. More info about CERTUS™ Professional Network at http://www. CertusNetwork.com. CONTACTS UNLIMITED is a business and professional leads group that meets at Courtesy Ford, 8252 S. Broadway, Littleton in the meeting room on the first, second, and third Thursday of every month. Meeting time is 8-9:15 a.m. Visitors are welcome. Call Jenifer at 303-221-6550.
recall the word “marzipan,” Josh and Cornelia reach for their devices. “No,” says Jamie, with the serenity of a monk. “Let’s just NOT know what it is.” The plot thickens when Jamie seeks Josh’s help on his own documentary, an enticing topic he seems to have simply stumbled upon. But soon, the thorny ethics of Jamie’s endeavor will emerge, and Josh will begin to wonder whether he’s been played for a sucker. A terrific climactic scene at an awards dinner — a multi-generational ideological confrontation — is both funny and disturbing, as Josh discovers that the rules by which he’s always lived may have changed without his ever noticing. The ending is somehow uplifting — Josh may not have won his battle against aging, but it feels like a truce is in the air. And in Baumbach’s hands, the battle has, at least, proved highly entertaining. “While We’re Young,” an A24 Films release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America “for language.” Running time: 94 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.
Association meets from 12:30-2:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at the Southglenn Library, 6972 S. Vine St., Centennial. All nurses are invited to attend for medical presentations. Contact: Barbara Karford, 303-794-0354.
WOMEN INVESTMENT Group Master Mind Group meets to empower all women to build a real financial freedom through the power of real estate in any market condition. We network, share ideas, leads, resources and encourage each other. We meet once a month. For meeting information, call Lorena 303-981-6539 or e-mail WomenInvestmentGroup@ comcast.net.
Recreation
LADIES GOLF League at Raccoon Creek Golf Course, Littleton, is accepting new members. Call 303-973-4653.
NON-PRACTICING AND Part Time Nurses
Clubs continues on Page 31
Serving the southeast Denver area
Castle Rock/Franktown
Greenwood Village
Highlands Ranch
Services:
Sunday 8am, 9:30am, 11am Sunday School 9:15am Little Blessings Day Care www.littleblessingspdo.com
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Congregation Beth Shalom Serving the Southeast Denver area
Call or check our website for information on services and social events! www.cbsdenver.org
303-794-6643
Highlands Ranch
Christ’s Episcopal Church
615 4th Street Castle Rock, CO 80104 303.688.5185
www.ChristsEpiscopalChurch.org TWITTER: @CECCastleRock
Trinity
Open and Affirming
Sunday Worship
8:00 AM Chapel Service 9:00 & 10:30 AM Sanctuary 10:20 AM St. Andrew Wildflower Sunday School 9:00 & 10:30 am
Sunday Worship - 10:00am Bible Study immediately following Thursday Bible Study - 7:30pm Currently meeting at: 9375 Heritage Hills Circle Lone Tree CO 80124 303-688-9506 www.LoneTreeCoC.com
Lutheran Church & School
Sunday Worship 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Sunday School Bible Study 9:30am Trinity Lutheran School & ELC (Ages 3-5, Grades K-8)
303-841-4660 www.tlcas.org
Curious about the Catholic Church & what Catholics believe? Have you missed the Sacrament of the Eucharist? The friendly family of St Mark Catholic Church of Highlands Ranch invites you to learn more about becoming a Catholic Christian. Monthly inquirer sessions will begin on April 16th at 7:30 p.m. In September, meetings will begin on a weekly basis. Call Karol Seydel at St Mark Catholic Church 720-348-9700 ext 216 9905 Foothills Canyon Blvd. Highlands Ranch, CO 80129.
Parker
303-794-2683 Preschool: 303-794-0510 9203 S. University Blvd. Highlands Ranch, 80126
Joy Lutheran Church
Parker Parker
Church of Christ
www.st-andrew-umc.com
Sunday Services a.m. &8:00 10:30 a.m.
Parker
Lone Tree
First United Methodist Church 1200 South Street Castle Rock, CO 80104 303.688.3047 www.fumccr.org
Lone Tree
Community Church of Religious Science Sunday 10:00 a.m. at the historic Ruth Memorial Chapel on Mainstreet
Parker evangelical Presbyterian church Connect – Grow – Serve
Sunday Worship
8:45 am & 10:30 am
303.805.9890 www.ParkerCCRS.org United Church Of Christ Parker Hilltop 10926 E. Democrat Rd. Parker, CO • 10am Worship www.uccparkerhilltop.org 303-841-2808
9030 MILLER ROAD PARKER, CO 80138 3038412125 www.pepc.org
Sharing God’s Love
Littleton SERVICES:
SATURDAY 5:30pm
SUNDAY 8:00 & 10:30am
Education Hour: Sunday 9:15am
Welcome Home!
Weaving Truth and Relevance into Relationships and Life
Joyful Mission Preschool 303-841-3770 7051 East Parker Hills Ct. • Parker, CO 303-841-3739 www.joylutheran-parker.org
worship Time 10:30AM sundays 9:00am Spiritual Formation Classes for all Ages 90 east orchard road littleton, co
303 798 6387 www.gracepointcc.us
To advertise your place of worship in this section, call 303-566-4091 or email kearhart@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com.