I’ll See You in My Dreams (2015) a pleasant, but lackluster look at aging

Older, or "mature" Americans are one of the most under-served demographics in terms of films meant to appeal to them. Americans over 50 make up nearly 1/3 of the U.S. population. Yet, it's clear to even the most casual observer that the number of movies featuring mature themes is well under 1/3 of the movies that appear in theaters. Still, many of Hollywood's most popular actors, including Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Adam Baldwin and Liam Neeson, are over 50. All this makes it an unusual sight (and for those over 50, a welcome sight) when a movie with specific appeal to the AARP crowd shows up at the local multiplex. Sure, more mature Americans enjoy a variety of movies, just like all other moviegoers, but like moviegoers in all demographics, they also want to see movies to which they can relate on a very personal level. They want to be able to go to a theater and, at least some of the time, see movies that "get" them, that understand who they are, what their lives are like and what they care about. Unfortunately, quality films that fit that definition are few and far between.
In the past decade, some of the better movies featuring more mature actors in the main roles and/or dealing with themes of particular interest to those over 50 include (in chronological order): "The Bucket List", "Letters to Juliet", "Enough Said", "Last Vegas", "Nebraska", "Philomena" and "Grudge Match", plus the "Expendables", "RED" and "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" films. There are some excellent movies on that list, but there really weren't many more like them produced in recent years. Then there's "I'll See You in My Dreams" (PG-13, 1:32). So, how does that last one stack up to the others I just named? Blythe Danner (Gwyneth Paltrow's mother, who has an impressive body of work of her own, including the "Meet the Parents" films and numerous TV appearances) stars as Carol Peterson, a widow who lives alone in her comfortable Los Angeles-area house with her dog. Carol seems happy enough. She has peace and quiet, she controls her own schedule and she has friends. She makes frequent trips to a nearby retirement home to play cards with the free-spirited Sally (Rhea Perlman), the nosy Rona (Mary Kay Place) and the usually very proper Georgina (June Squibb). Carol also sometimes plays golf with Sally, and Rona occasionally stops by the house.

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