Stand Up Guys

This is NOT a comedy, nor is it a "gangster flick"; rather it's a movie about life, death, regrets, triumphs, friendship and the importance of family. It starts out slowly but gathers momentum as it draws the viewer into the lives of the principal characters. Pacino and Walken were good in their roles, but a supporting cast -- featuring several incredibly beautiful and talented new actresses -- really made the movie as truly moving as it is. The performance of the actress who plays "Alex" was alone worth the price of admission. "Today became tomorrow..." "It usually does." Yes, but it won't do so forever; we grow old and die. In the meantime, perhaps the best we can do is "to be useful to others" as Alan Arkin's character opined. The young and the old will like this film best; middle-aged people are too busy making their plans to realize that "life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." So is death.