Movie Review: "Older" (2020)
Older Movie Review
Written by Stuart D. Monroe
Released by Indie Rights Movies
Written and Directed by Guy Pigden
2020, 90 minutes, Not Rated
Released on November 6th, 2020
Starring:
Guy Pigden as Alex
Leisha Ward Knox as Jenny
Astra McLaren as Stephanie
Harley Neville as Henry
Samantha Jukes as Isabelle
Review:
Everyone, whether you’re a reviewer or just a movie fan, has a genre that they generally avoid like the plague. Mine is the “romantic drama”. I know that’s a stereotypical answer for a man who’s a horror addict; a man who also has a fondness for the highly offensive and grotesque, but there it is. What can I say? I don’t really have the soul of a romantic. Don’t even get my wife started on that one, please.
Still, I can always be won over with good performances, truth in the material, and good old-fashioned heart. That’s why it makes me unabashedly happy to say that I had to dry my eyes a time or two during Older, and it wasn’t because onions were being cut nearby. As the writer, director, and star of Older, Guy Pigden proves that his voice is one you’ll hear more from in the coming years.
Alex (Guy Pigden; I Survived A Zombie Holocaust) is in a deep rut. He achieved his filmmaking dream and made a low-budget slasher film, but everyone hated it. His confidence is broken, and he’s not writing anything anymore. He spends every day with the same routine- gym, masturbation, video games, weed smoking, more masturbation (hey, we’ve all been there). He still lives with his parents. His best friend, Henry (Harley Neville; No Caller ID), is happily married to Isabelle (Samantha Jukes; Orphans and Kingdoms) and obsessed with his new baby. At the wedding, Alex reconnects with his high school best friend, Jenny (Leisha Ward Knox; Legend of the Seeker). There’s immediate chemistry; the question is where is it going? Alex is still insanely nuts about Stephanie (Astra McLaren; Penny Black), the gorgeous model who’s also a high school friend. He can’t get over her after 10 years even though he’s a convenience to her…and it’s obvious to everyone but him. As Alex’s feelings for Jenny deepen (and vice versa), he plays the “not exclusive” game with both of them, but it’s falling apart. His world is kind of falling apart as well. Reality is hitting him in the face- his parents want him out, and life is telling him over and over to do something with his life. First he has to figure out who’s going to be the girl for him. Then he needs to figure out who he’s going to be as he gets older.
Here’s the thing about the highly formulaic genre of the romantic drama: it’s less about originality than it is about believable writing and coming from a real place. This one is clearly very personal to Guy Pigden. Is it his actual story? I don’t know, honestly. However, I know that there’s real emotion and truth in the writing, and I know it because it mirrors my own story in many ways- tons of promise, wasted potential at a younger age, tragedy and heartbreak creating a turning point at a critical juncture in life, and even dealing with the old ghosts of teenage love.
Older has a universal truth at its core, a simple truth that literally everyone deals with in their life- getting older and facing the part of your life where all your illusions disappear is fucking brutal. At some point we all have to stop believing in magic, and it just plain sucks. What if you found the person who understood you intrinsically? What if you clicked on a deeper level? Could you become a better person and pick yourself back up?
The chemistry between all the leads is clear and strong, but it’s particularly affecting with Guy Pigden’s Alex and Leisha Ward Knox’s Jenny. I may have fallen a bit in love with her, to be honest. Older does a stellar job with the conflicting and wild relationship between Alex and the super sexy Stephanie as well. It’s a toxic relationship that’s also utterly legitimate- when you get the girl who’s miles out of your league and makes you feel crazy and alive, it’s really hard to let go of. Hell, everything in Alex’s life is a struggle, and it’s often that way for most of us (at least at a certain stage of life).
In particular, the final scene (you know, the inevitable “take me back” scene) is a fine finish. I’ve literally had that conversation (though the particulars were a little different and my own business). Jenny tells him, “You’ve got a LOT left to prove.” I’ve had those exact words aimed at me, and it was the turning point for me. That scene is what it sounds and feels like. The close is as legit as it gets and so well done. Was I crying? You’re goddamn right I was…and not just because I’m an extreme empath.
I can see where you’d be inclined to call Older a traditional and clichéd romantic drama, and you’d be 100% correct in terms of structure. However, there’s a lot more than fluff here. First, it’s much funnier than you’re expecting. There are a few good natural, unforced laughs to be had, and the “barfing and texting” scene had me about to piss myself.
Older is perfectly titled. Past a certain age and place in life, you’ll feel this movie (in much the same way you feel the end of Clerks 2 or The World’s End) because everyone has a version of it in their story. At times sweet, often funnier than you are expecting, and hopeful even when it’s dark, Older takes a formula you’ll recognize immediately and gives it enough heart to surprise you. I can’t think of a romantic drama I’ve enjoyed more, in all honesty.
Now go get a tissue, you weepy bastards. If I can appreciate a good romantic drama, then you damn sure can.
Grade:
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
Older is available now on Amazon, Google Play, and Tubi
