As Young as You Feel
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Movie Reviews of As Young as You Feel
Movie Review: Age-ism Revealed
Summary: 5 Stars
The central theme of this movie (enforced retirement or, more widely, the perennial injustice of age-ism) is one we need, more than ever, to consider.
Today one is often "thrown on the scrap heap" long before one's 65th birthday. Many an experienced and/or highly intelligent worker then finds himself competing with high school dropouts, drug addicts, the psychosomatically and chronically sick, shirkers, and illegals for the most bovine and least-rewarding occupations.
A seasoned worker (a printing press operator) is forcibly retired at the height of his powers and while still in robust health. His cunning plan to get his old job back soon has him at his beloved press once more, while publicising the nation's need to retain and benefit from the most experienced and proven workers in the labour pool. The rest of the movie creatively and humorously sorts out the threatening legal problems and other consequences arising from the methods the film's hero has employed in reaching his goal.
With all the dubious causes and crusades that Hollywood collectively chooses to embark upon here, unusually, is a cause that all compassionate, fair-minded individuals can appreciate and support.
The humor is light and warm-hearted, the film's conclusion satisfactory. A refreshing and wholesome change of diet from the more typical fare of the film industry. A film well worth having and keeping.
Movie Review: An Absolute Delight!!
Summary: 5 Stars
What a fun film! This is one for the entire family- The premise of course no longer applies, with people being forced to retire at age 65, but the comedy transends time! All the actors are great, and naturally Monty Woolley is the funniest of all- They just don't make films like this anymore and that is the shame of it. This genre of the 50's can never be duplicated, don't pass this one by-Movie Review: A Window to the Early 1950's
Summary: 4 Stars
As Young As You Feel" is a modest budget early 50's B&W comedy. While the creative people were experimenting with 'film noir' and 'neo-realism', the studios were cranking out stuff like this for a traditional audience. This adaptation of a story by Paddy Chayefsky was made during the McCarthy years, so the social satire aspect could only be subtly subversive. The themes (balancing work and play, doing work that gives you personal satisfaction, and maintaining your integrity) give the film a worthwhile message and are not delivered in an overbearing manner.
Monty Woolley (as John Hodges) carries the film as a printer who is pushed into retirement at age 65 and decides to impersonate the president of the holding company that owns the printing plant where he worked. This sets up a sort of 'Being There' effect, where his views on national affairs become an inspiration to the whole country. David Wayne (who would eventually play the Mad Hatter on "Batman") plays his prospective son-in-law and their scenes are all gems, partly because they have a real chemistry and partly because they got the best dialogue. The best scene is the opening, a very well staged scene of the company orchestra playing the "Nutcracker": the camera opens on a promotional poster, pans left and takes us into the concert hall as a little girl scurries her seat. The camera moves around in the crowd where we meet most of the main characters. Hodges is playing one of the piccolos and he soon launches into an impromptu solo, much to the annoyance of the guest conductor and an accurate preview of what his role will be throughout the film.
This film is fairly entertaining but is most valuable as a cultural artifact. Because it was not a high budget production the cast is almost entirely older stars at the very end of their careers (like Wooley and Constance Bennett) and young actors at the beginning (Wayne, Jean Peters, and Marilyn Monroe-in a small part). So there is a kind of torch passing at work. It is also hints at Monroe's special screen presence which somehow allowed her beat the Hollywood starlet system. She and Peters were the same age (both were born in 1926) and had both started too late in the movie business. By this film they had already lost all the youthful luster of their early 20's (check out how much better Peters looked two years earlier in 'It Happens Every Spring' and Monroe before she became a blonde), yet Monroe was somehow able to transcend this and become a big star.
Arthur Miller said of Monroe: "She was rarely taken seriously as anything but a sex symbol. To have survived, she would have had to be either more cynical or even further from reality than she was. Instead, she was a poet on a street corner trying to recite to a crowd pulling at her clothes."
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Movie Review: AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL, AS OLD AS IT LOOKS!
Summary: 3 Stars
"As Young As You Feel" is the quaint little comedy about a flutist (Monty Woolley) who is forced to retire at 65 but refuses to slip quietly into his golden years. Instead he dyes his hair and impersonates the president of his former employer, bent on changing the policies of the company for the better and in the process, flirting with the president's hot, young secretary. Yep, you guessed it - Marilyn Monroe. This is Monroe before she became Monroe and its a refreshing twist on her usual sultry "dumb blonde" image that we're all so used to. She provides a genuine scent of sophistication to this otherwise trite little piece of fluff and nonsense.TRANSFER: Something of a disappointment. Contrast levels are considerably lower than they ought to be. The result is a dull looking transfer in which fine details melt away and blacks blend into one another. Also, there is a considerable amount of grit and film grain present, as well as age related artifacts, for a picture that is not smooth. The audio has been remixed for stereo with predictably limited results.
EXTRAS: This isn't the sort of film you'd expect extras from and you won't be disappointed.
BOTTOM LINE: "As Young As You Feel" was one of the stones that paved the way for Monroe's super-stardom. But it's not one I'd recommend if you're only a casual admirer of Marilyn's charms.
Movie Review: cute comedy
Summary: 3 Stars
Thelma Ritter, Monty Woolley and Constance Bennett star in AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL, a breezy comedy satire about an ageing worker in a printing firm who simply refuses to retire!
This has been issued (along with several other features) as supplements to the 'Marilyn Monroe Diamond Collection' box sets. AS YOU AS YOU FEEL is one of her earliest features, though her role is really only slightly bigger than a cameo. It's pretty clear that Fox was unsure how to fully market Monroe and was leary as to her potential.
Twentieth Century-Fox placed Marilyn in supporting roles at the beginning of her contract. These were mostly B-comedies, where she more often than not played a secretary or the sexy girl neighbour. Perhaps her best 'bit role' came when she played Miss Caswell in ALL ABOUT EVE. Monroe really got her first big acting role as Nell in the eerie noir drama DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK (and that same year she played opposite Barbara Stanwyck in CLASH BY NIGHT).
AS YOU AS YOU FEEL is a must-own for Marilyn completists, though the show rightly belongs to Ritter, Woolley and Co.
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