Remember actress Mariette Hartley? Tall, strawberry-blond hair, bright-eyed? Those Polaroid commercials with the famous James Garner? If you do, this might be the movie for you—especially if you like sharp wit.
Mariette Hartley plays, well, Mariette Hartley. She’s an older actor and lonely, so lonely that she tries a dating app. You know That Big Fear—about inadvertently dating a murderer? Well, I’d hate to spoil the story, but Peter MacNicol plays “Psycho Date.”
What’s a lonely, aging actor to do? Hmm. Maybe date that short comedian she meets at the bird store? This comedian is played by Jerry Sroka, who happens to be married to Mariette. Really. What we get is their love story—mostly.
It’s kind of a “rest of the story” story. Whatever became of Hartley—someone famous for roles through the 1970s-2000s? This story also delivers the rest for others like Tess Harper and Morgan Fairchild and the doc on The Love Boat. You’ll see Sam McMurray and John Rubinstein too—more actors we used to know and watch. They aren’t in cold storage but in their 80s spinning their racquets, awaiting another serve.
You might remember Hartley’s serious concerns, too, which are also noted—her health challenges and her suicide prevention work. Because of such themes, the movie is “R” rated. Strong language is used at times.
Neely Swanson writes in the December 2023 Beverly Hills Courier News, “What the film does best, and we most appreciated, was a clear-eyed view, both sentimental and straightforward ... of the challenges faced when getting older but still having an unquenchable passion for life with the right partner.”
The movie is about the sweet moments and the challenges.
So, yes, if you remember Hartley, you might enjoy this fresh love story for those of us getting older. (Rated R, Amazon Prime)
About the Author
Cynthia Beach authored the #ChurchToo novel The Surface of Water and the writing book, Creative Juices. She co-directs Scriptoria Workshop with Newbery-winner Gary Schmidt.