Movie Review: Our Souls at Night

Our Souls at Night *** / *****

Directed by: Ritesh Batra.

Written by: Kent Haruf & Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber.

Starring: Jane Fonda (Addie Moore), Robert Redford (Louis Waters), Iain Armitage (Jamie), Judy Greer (Holly), Matthias Schoenaerts (Gene), Bruce Dern (Dorlan), Phyllis Somerville (Ruth).

 

It’s a shame every time a narrative shows up in Our Souls at Night – a quietly lovely film starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, which is at its best when it’s simply spending time with its two veteran stars, and not forcing them into a plot of any kind. To the films credit, it doesn’t impose much of a plot on them – but the film doesn’t even need that. Redford and Fonda first shared the screen together 50 years ago, and they have a report together that is nice. The film is one of those that some people will condescendingly say that “your parents will love it!” – But it really is a pleasure to watch the film – even if, ultimately, it doesn’t add up to all that much.

 

The film opens when widow Addie (Fonda) knocks on widower Louis (Redford)’s door, and invites herself in. The two have been neighbors for decades, but never really friends. Both have been on their own for years now, both have adult children who don’t come around much anymore, and both are fairly set in their ways. But she’s lonely – especially at night – and thinks sharing a bed with Louis may help her get to sleep. This isn’t about sex – but something else. The nights are the worst, aren’t they?

 

So begins a movie that takes place in small town Colorado, and is about the passing of a certain kind of life. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that nearly everyone who lives in this small town seem to be about as old as Addie and Louis – all the young people packed up and moved away a long time ago. At first the small time busybodies – Bruce Dern and Phyllis Somerville among them – gossip a little about Addie and Louis, but that dies down soon enough. Even in conservative, small town America no one much cares what people Addie and Louis’ age do with each other.

 

The movie is at its best when it is at its most relaxed. These two people know the broad outlines of each other lives – affairs that were once scandals, children who have died in accidents, etc. – but not the details – not how they each got through them, or the details of their long marriages that lasted until their partners died. There is a directness to the acting of both Redford and Fonda – they are playing characters who figure they have nothing to hide at this point in their lives, so screw it, I’ll tell it like it is.

 

The film does introduce some plot to their lives in the form of Addie’s grown son Gene (Matthias Schoenaerts), who shows up with his young son Jamie (Iain Armitage) when his wife runs off. Jamie stays with Addie for a while – and bonds with her, and with Louis as well. Louis has an adult daughter as well – Holly (Judy Greer) – who shows up for one scene, which is nicely underplayed. Clearly both Gene and Holly have issues with their parents – but both are trying to move forward.

 

Our Souls at Night ambles along at a nice pace, and really is a pleasure to watch. No, it doesn’t really add up to all that much – but it does achieve its fairly modest goals. It’s nice to see Redford and Fonda together again – and it’s nice to see them in a movie like this showing that it’s not quite over yet.