DVD Review: Here Today

Here Today
starring, directed by, and co-written by Billy Crystal (DVD Here)

I don’t remember seeing any commercials or previews for this one, before my wife snagged a copy from the new DVDs at the library. I’m glad she did, as this was a powerful and entertaining film about relationships, coping with dementia, and unlikely friendships.

 

Billy Crystal (who not only co-wrote this — with Alan Zweibel — and directed this) stars as Charlie Burnz, a legendary old Jewish TV comedy writer, whose fame extends back to the era of things like the Carol Burnett Show and other classic sitcoms and variety shows. He’s still on the writing staff for a weekly late night live comedy show (patterned after Saturday Night Live), but some of the younger writers there wonder if he still has any relevance, with his older comedy values.

 

Tiffany Haddish plays Emma Payge, a talented street musician coming out of a break-up with an ex-boyfriend. Her boyfriend had bid on, and won, a lunch with Charlie in a charity auction, and to spite the “ex”, Emma shows up for the lunch date. When the lunch date results in a trip to the emergency room for Emma, Charlie is dragged along, and the beginning of a bizarre yet refreshing friendship has started.

 

The performances of everyone in this entire cast are absolutely superb, especially the leads. Crystal plays Charlie, who is starting to slip into dementia, not as a pitiable character, but someone to be admired, as he recognizes the signs of his failing mental processes and does everything in his power to retain a semblance of his known life. And Emma’s rough-and-tumble streetwise characterization makes this odd-couple match-up very rewarding. But literally everyone else in the cast, from major supporting players to brief appearances, all feel “real”, and the film treats them as actual people and not fodder for cheap jokes.

 

Here Today is a sweet, sentimental and emotionally-charged movie, with moments of extreme hilarity and other moments of thoughtfulness. Ultimately it is one of my favorite comedies of the past few years. Highly recommended. And for those who’ve lived through the reality family members afflicted with Alzheimers, Parkinsons and other dementia-related conditions, this subject matter is covered with great caution and sensitivity.

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer
by Fredrik Backman

Poignant and bittersweet with moments of happiness and fun, this novella by acclaimed Swedish author Backman [“A Man Called Ove”] imagines what it must be like inside a mind that is being destroyed by dementia and depicts how such a person’s family-cum-caregivers provide for and accompany him or her on the long good-bye. The tale focuses on 3 main relationships revolving around the central character, an unnamed man: Grandpa and Noah (“NoahNoah”); Dad and Ted; and “darling you” and “my love” (a.k.a. Grandma). Noah loves math and space and being silly and adventuring, just like his Grandpa, so their times together become all the more precious in memory. Dad and Ted have always had a slightly uncomfortable bond but love each other nonetheless. Man and Wife have loved each other fiercely and happily and forever since they first met. This tale, which the author notes was not originally intended for publication, may be slightly confusing at first until you figure out the alternating perspectives and events. Even though it is a short book, it pays to re-read small segments as you go, to absorb and savor the layers of emotion and meaning, and the beautifully crafted writing/translation. And then read it again a few more times. Those who have gone through a loved one’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease or a comparable condition will recognize and sympathize with many elements of the story, and those who have yet to endure such a challenging journey may become better prepared to make it..

[ official And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer page on the publisher’s official Fredrik Backman web site ]

Recommended by Becky W.C.
Walt Branch Library

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!