Review of 5 Flights Up (2014) by Carol R — 30 May 2015

#5FlightsUp #instareview #RoyalReview.

#CarlosAtTheMovies #Saturday #May30.

Hmmm. I felt like I should have liked this movie more. Iâ??m sure the filmmakers and stars felt they were making a â??cute little movie.â?? And, they did. Just not as â??cuteâ?? as they might have intended. The story in sum: #MorganFreeman (playing Alex) and #DianeKeaton (playing Ruth) are a long-married couple living in a now-gentrified section of #Brooklyn (signs show restaurants advertising organic food and thereâ??s a mention of a #WholeFoods (aka #WholeCheck) opening up. They want to get away from the #hipsters moving in. #CynthiaNixon plays Ruthâ??s niece whoâ??s brokering the sale of their apartment located on the 5th floor of a brownstone. The changing neighborhood and the lack of an elevator in their building (again, where they lived for 40 years) seem to be the main reasons for their desire to move.

The actors are nice together. They have chemistry. And the flashbacks to their own move into the building (and the issues around them as an interracial couple) give the film some complexity. But, the film has two other subplots that serve as a HUGE distraction. In one, their dog takes ill and thereâ??s a constant back and forth with the vet about the treatment (and cost) of the dog. In the other, thereâ??s an event of a â??terroristâ?? on the loose in #NewYorkCity. Thereâ??s intermittent updates on the search which only seems to serve the purpose of having various characters discuss their own opinion on the issue of terrorism. These subplots in no way enhance the main story. Like most movies these days, the plot is predictable (will they or wonâ??t they move???!!!!). But, some films take you on a fun ride along the way that makes it more forgiving for the subpar plot.

Freeman and Keaton do a good job, but ALL of the other characters are pretty-much one-note (including Nixonâ??s). Thereâ??s zero complexity to any of them. This all helps Ruth and Alex make the decision we know theyâ??re going to make.

In the end, a nice film about some current issues (gentrification, Islamophobia, aging, technology). But could have had better execution.

My score: #6outof10.