Anybody who has an aging parent or grandparent who led an active, valuable life will relate to the issues of the aging Bette Davis in this movie where she plays a recent widow who is suddenly taken out of her house and sent to a hospital for observation for alleged dementia. Sons George Hearn and LeRoy Schulz quickly get power of attorney and have granddaughter Alexa Kenin find a convalescent hospital for her to reside in. After rejecting a high rise retirement home where the patients seem to be the walking dead (for $85 a day, 1982 price), Kenin finds the charming home like atmosphere run by Penny Fuller for half that price. While the staff abides by strict regulations of keeping the patients safe and in line, they also go out of their way to make sure that many of them "graduate", that is, return to their old homes or independent living. As fast as she has her episode, Davis seems to recover, and while indeed she does seem lost and possibly on the verge of an Alzheimer's diagnosis, there are reasons for some of the confusing statements she makes, and Davis strives to not only get her independence back by "graduating", but get control of her finances again as well.
Yes indeed, in 1950, Bette Davis created a legendary screen character in Broadway legend Margo Channing in "All About Eve", and 20 years later, Penny Fuller created the role of Eve Harrington in the musical version, "Applause!", on Broadway. Fuller is someone determined to try new methods to help the patients, so her services are indeed unique. It takes Davis a while to get her bearings in her new atmosphere, and when Kenin discovers that Davis's house has been sold, it is Fuller who advises that she be honest with Davis immediately rather than hold things back from her. The film switches gears extremely fast, moving Davis from the homey atmosphere of this charming hospital, and putting her in independent living in a senior residential hotel in Santa Monica CA where she is soon mugged and then becomes a victim of a confidence man who nearly cons $500 out of her. A reunion with an old friend of her husband's (Keenan Wynn) shows that Davis's romantic days are not behind her, but more financial issues erupt which puts Davis back in court and determined to gain back as much as she can of the things taken away from her.
Determined to get away from the "hag horror" genre of films she had been starring in on screen in the late 1960's and early 1970's, Davis turned to TV to keep busy, and the quality of the roles she received were uniformally excellent. By the late 1970's, she was facing her advanced age with great dignity, and taking on roles that dealt with issues that people of her generation were facing, issues that remain potent today including cruelty to the elderly, issues of the generation gap and issues between aging parents and their middle aged children. The sons here are not bad, perhaps just rather bland in their affection for their mother and too busy to really show how they care (shown watching football while their wives pack up Davis's house), but it is the granddaughter and a young attorney (Christopher Guest) who is the son of Davis's late husbands attorney who show the most caring. Issues of how bankers try to utilize situations like this to get people to make investments are also shown. The film loses some credibility by having Davis suddenly on her own miles away from her hometown, but Davis's performance and details of how her life is affected by one bad incident make this a strong look at issues still very important today.
Yes indeed, in 1950, Bette Davis created a legendary screen character in Broadway legend Margo Channing in "All About Eve", and 20 years later, Penny Fuller created the role of Eve Harrington in the musical version, "Applause!", on Broadway. Fuller is someone determined to try new methods to help the patients, so her services are indeed unique. It takes Davis a while to get her bearings in her new atmosphere, and when Kenin discovers that Davis's house has been sold, it is Fuller who advises that she be honest with Davis immediately rather than hold things back from her. The film switches gears extremely fast, moving Davis from the homey atmosphere of this charming hospital, and putting her in independent living in a senior residential hotel in Santa Monica CA where she is soon mugged and then becomes a victim of a confidence man who nearly cons $500 out of her. A reunion with an old friend of her husband's (Keenan Wynn) shows that Davis's romantic days are not behind her, but more financial issues erupt which puts Davis back in court and determined to gain back as much as she can of the things taken away from her.
Determined to get away from the "hag horror" genre of films she had been starring in on screen in the late 1960's and early 1970's, Davis turned to TV to keep busy, and the quality of the roles she received were uniformally excellent. By the late 1970's, she was facing her advanced age with great dignity, and taking on roles that dealt with issues that people of her generation were facing, issues that remain potent today including cruelty to the elderly, issues of the generation gap and issues between aging parents and their middle aged children. The sons here are not bad, perhaps just rather bland in their affection for their mother and too busy to really show how they care (shown watching football while their wives pack up Davis's house), but it is the granddaughter and a young attorney (Christopher Guest) who is the son of Davis's late husbands attorney who show the most caring. Issues of how bankers try to utilize situations like this to get people to make investments are also shown. The film loses some credibility by having Davis suddenly on her own miles away from her hometown, but Davis's performance and details of how her life is affected by one bad incident make this a strong look at issues still very important today.