Septuagenarians are having a moment with the success of Only Murders in the Building, starring Martin Short and Steve Martin, and Matlock, starring Kathy Bates.
Now we can add 76-year-old Ted Danson to the list of 70-somethings saving some of their best work for their later years. In A Man on the Inside, Danson, a bundle of frenetic charm, physical comedy, and the ability to break your heart and heal it, stars as lonely and adrift widower Charles, who gets a new lease on life when he gets an unexpected gig that changes his life.
Missing his late wife terribly and pining for purpose, Charles jumps at the chance to be the “man on the inside,” a mole hired to infiltrate a retirement community after one of the residents has an expensive necklace go missing.
Pacific View Retirement Community in San Francisco is like your grandma’s assisted living home on steroids. Loaded with amenities such as a beauty salon and a gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the fancy facility houses several residents aching for their former lives and mourning the loss of spouses and friends. We know going in that Charles’ tender heart won’t be able to resist the tug to care for his fellow seniors; he relates to them all too well. Soon Charles finds the community he has been looking for, even though his presence there is established on pretenses. How will his new friends react when they find out he has been spying on them?
Danson carries the show deftly. He’s still got it—the magic that made him a star when he played Sam Malone on Cheers. Reunited here with Michael Shur, the showrunner from Danson’s last hit series, The Good Place, Danson has a winsome way of making us laugh while pondering themes of aging, autonomy, and death. The creators also worked on Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but this show is not as laugh-out-loud funny. It’s every bit as good, though.
Speaking of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Stephanie Beatriz’s tough, sarcastic character Rosa from that show is nowhere to be found in her character here. Beatriz shines as Didi, the facility manager who pours her all into caring for her residents. I also loved Jama Williamson’s Beatrice, who plays the loving and mega-enthusiastic activities director who isn’t going to let a little thing like a massive trust fund in her name stop her from doing worthy work for others (she volunteers full time). Lilah Richcreek Estrada as Julie, the droll millennial investigator who hires Charles, is also fun to watch.
Anyone who has ever loved an aging parent or anyone else nearing the end of life will be won over by Charles and all the residents of Pacific View. God imbues his image bearers with worth until the end of time, and certainly until the end of their time on earth. A Man on the Inside highlights that truth with wit and grace. (Netflix)
About the Author
Lorilee Craker, a native of Winnipeg, Man., lives in Grand Rapids, Mich. The author of 16 books, she is the Mixed Media editor of The Banner. Her latest book is called Eat Like a Heroine: Nourish and Flourish With Bookish Stars From Anne of Green Gables to Zora Neale Hurston.