Rent Elsa and Fred (2014)

Elsa and Fred review by Michelle Sommerville - Cinema Paradiso

When it comes to cute romance films, they are all trumped by stories of old-age love. It is something almost everyone aspires for in their advanced years, and this film, Elsa and Fred, is a beautiful story. The film is a solid three out of five stars. It is an engaging story with interesting characters, but it does fall into cliche.

The film Elsa and Fred tells the story of two people who find love and companionship at a time in their lives they never expected. Taking everyone in their lives by surprise, the two set off on a journey together. Fred is a widower who meets the effervescent Elsa when his daughter convinces him to downsize into an apartment. Fred quickly becomes enthralled by Elsa, who acts well below her age. When Fred learns of Elsa’s terminal illness, he begins to take chances himself, and the two start to experience life in a whole new way.

Romance films are always going to be popular. There is always going to be an audience that will watch it, but that does not always mean it is worth the cost. Old-age love brings another element, and the tale is told in a beautiful and sweet manner.

It is often said - and very true - that there are no roles for women over 40. While the same is not said as often for men, there aren’t as many roles for them either. That is why this film is so fantastic. With the story often cliche and overly copied from the original Argentinian film, the film was in need of excellent actors. You can not get much better than Christopher Plummer and Shirley MacLaine. Both have been involved in the film industry for many years, and you can see their enjoyment in every scene.

It has been pointed out by numerous people that close to ninety percent of this film is copied from the original. This is seen in lots of remakes, but this film took it a bit too far, even copying camera movements and character gestures. This is quite disappointing, but as the old saying goes: if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

You can’t praise the writing in this film without the most credit going to the original Argentinian product. Managing to have a meaningful contribution from all of the characters would have been difficult to juggle, but they did it admirably.

Semi-surprisingly, critic and audience reviews have not been kind to Elsa and Fred. Audiences have panned it as a ‘knock-off’, and critics have criticised it for its lack of originality in essentially every aspect.

It might end up being worth watching the original, but Elsa and Fred is a film you should add to your must-see list. It will make you laugh, cry, and wish there was more of an opportunity for cast like these to get time on the big screen. Worth watching, and I recommend it.