Review of Just Getting Started (2017) by Thequietgamer — 31 May 2018

A Christmas comedy for those of retirement age. As odd as it's holiday setting is, it does a decent job of showing those who are entering the final chapter of their lives having some fun. The plot centers around the rivalry between Morgan Freeman and Tommy Lee Jones and the former's mysterious past that eventually leads to them becoming friends. The humor is rather uneven and the pacing is quite slow. The whole thing is really just a series of competitions between the two leads broken up by awkward bits of unsuccessful flirting with Rene Russo's character before the more action-oriented (and absurd) final act.

The duo's battle for popularity and female attention is largely carried by Freeman. It's nice to see the actor being able to cut loose like this. Even in other movies like Last Vegas where the main idea is to watch everyone cut up, Freeman has always played one of the more restrained and mature characters onscreen. Here he's just a total playboy. Jones is decent as the straight man. His over-serious nature and constant grim stare make his one-liners more amusing than they otherwise would have been. A shame these two great and respectable leads weren't given better material.

For those just entering or already partaking in their later years, Just Getting Started will likely prove to be a good time. It's a middle-of-the-road comedy that wants to show that getting old doesn't necessarily mean that the good times are at an end. As the movie says, "Happiness is not a condition. It's a choice." Still, the choice might be somewhat out of people's hands when it comes to watching this one. Particularly in the case of more youthful viewers. The material is quite weak and no amount of pandering to a specific audience can cover it up. Plus there's how it comes off as more of a TV movie than something that made it's way into theaters. Overall, there is an audience for this film. Unfortunately I can't count myself among them, but maybe those who have gotten on up in the years can.