Welcome to an active adult community in Boynton Beach, Florida, where an older set of retirees try to squeeze out some pleasure in the later stages of their lives. Of course, death is a constant companion, and the loss of a loved one can be a major shock to the system. That's what Marilyn (Brenda Vaccaro) experiences. Her husband is doing his regular morning exercise, dancing down the street, when a woman (Renee Taylor) talking on a cell phone backs her car out of a driveway and runs over him. Marilyn is very angry about his being killed in this way and doesn't know what to do with her feelings. Her daughter gives her a dog and hopes that she will mend.
Jack (Len Cariou) is overwhelmed by casserole dishes following the death of his wife. He lets his granddaughter read her diaries but has no interest in doing so himself. At the Boynton Beach Bereavement Club, he is befriended by Harry (Joseph Bologna), a ladies man who enjoys all the attention that comes to him as one of the few men in the group. He also visits an online chat room and searches computer personal ads in search of a voluptuous date. In the privacy of his home, he applies an anti-aging cream to his face and takes pride in his full head of hair.
Although Harry feels it is too early to start dating, he is pursued by Sandy (Sally Kellerman), a member of the grieving group who flirts shamelessly with him the first time they meet. The liveliest member of the Boynton Beach Bereavement Club is Lois (Dyan Cannon), an interior designer who looks younger than anyone else in the group and spends a lot of time on her appearance. She befriends Marilyn and teaches her how to drive.
Lois's romantic life has been in limbo since the death of her son. But when she meets Donald (Michael Nouri), a handsome fellow who is in the real estate business, things start to look up. They go on a picnic and later go roller-blading. Both of them abhor the notion of an inactive life of leisure.
"We would be unwise to forget that above all else, the Boomers are the 'youth generation'," Ken Dychtwald writes in Age Wave. "They love the youthful vigor and vitality that have always been a part of their lives. In fact, we might expect that because they love their youth so much, they will do everything possible to take it with them into old age." Director Susan Seidelman understands this phenomenon and has fashioned a light-hearted comedy about the over-60 crowd as they square off against daunting insurance forms, visits to the pharmacy, daily walks, lapsed driver's licenses, patronizing comments about their ability to understand, and fears about sexual performance.
There is a bittersweet quality to this drama as these elders struggle to stay forever young. There isn't one person among them who seems to accept wrinkles and the vulnerabilities that come with aging. The movie closes with a New Year's Eve party with a 1950s sock hop theme as all the main characters look toward new beginnings after some romantic setbacks and disappointments. Our hearts go out to these Baby Boomers and their indomitable efforts to overcome loneliness and start once again with hope. Hats off to Susan Seidelman for making Boynton Beach Club during an era when very few movies focus on aging Baby Boomers.
