Until the last five minutes, I thought this movie was a very well done examination not of age, or loss, or regret, but of infidelity.
Infidelity is a subject rarely seriously approached in film, and the idea of a film about dealing with that pain for the first time at the twilight of life made for very thought-provoking material.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
At the end, though, this film makes a fatal error with the twist conclusion that Max Rose's wife never did actually cheat on him.
This is not only illogical (Why did she never claim this? Her attitude toward him in flashback is almost taunting) but disqualifies the story as relative for those who have experienced the pain of betrayal, something much more common than a faithful marriage of 65-years.
Really heavy material is thrown away at the last moment, with a brisk summary of "He never should have worried about it." There's a loose message in conclusion that love is all that really matters, but it does not seem Max Rose would have felt that way if there had been admission of a sexual indiscretion.
Jerry Lewis is quite good, but again, his final confrontation with Dean Stockwell's character is mishandled with his inexplicably low-key attitude, especially considering Stockwell's open hostility at first. It just doesn't fit with all we've seen beforehand.
At just over 80 minutes long, Max Brooks feels like a film that had another act in it, but a decision was made to cut that short and take the easy path home.
Not a waste to watch, the cast alone makes it worth a look, but certainly a missed opportunity.
Infidelity is a subject rarely seriously approached in film, and the idea of a film about dealing with that pain for the first time at the twilight of life made for very thought-provoking material.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
At the end, though, this film makes a fatal error with the twist conclusion that Max Rose's wife never did actually cheat on him.
This is not only illogical (Why did she never claim this? Her attitude toward him in flashback is almost taunting) but disqualifies the story as relative for those who have experienced the pain of betrayal, something much more common than a faithful marriage of 65-years.
Really heavy material is thrown away at the last moment, with a brisk summary of "He never should have worried about it." There's a loose message in conclusion that love is all that really matters, but it does not seem Max Rose would have felt that way if there had been admission of a sexual indiscretion.
Jerry Lewis is quite good, but again, his final confrontation with Dean Stockwell's character is mishandled with his inexplicably low-key attitude, especially considering Stockwell's open hostility at first. It just doesn't fit with all we've seen beforehand.
At just over 80 minutes long, Max Brooks feels like a film that had another act in it, but a decision was made to cut that short and take the easy path home.
Not a waste to watch, the cast alone makes it worth a look, but certainly a missed opportunity.