Report Card---"If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast".

This was a movie I really wanted to like.
But it just hit too close to home on too many levels.
It's a very upbeat documentary about people who are in very good shape living into their nineties.
It's hosted by Carl Reiner, and features Mel Brooks, Norman Lear, and Mr. and Mrs. Dick Van Dyke.
I just turned 70, and due to my health problems, as much as I'd like to join the nonagenarians, my chances of doing so are way below average.  I'll address this as we go along.  And I don't feel nearly as upbeat about this subject  as they do.

On to the scoring:   

Is it interesting?

It has its moments  Mostly musical ones. Tony Bennett singing.  Dick Van Dyke and his wife singing and dancing to "Young at Heart", in the Capitol Building using Sinatra's original mikes.
B+.

Compelling even?

Hardly.  If I hear Mel Brooks tell his "Jews singing 'Dancing in the Dark' and people like Norman Lear acting like they've never heard him tell it before, I'll throw up.  It was funny the first fifty times at the most.
C-.
.
Is it a story worth telling?

Very much so.  But it's just too damn optimistic.  Most of us won't get there.
B.

Is it good storytelling?

Yes.
B+

Is it well written?

Can't fault the writing.
B+.

Is it well cast? Well played?

Good interviews, they got the right people.
A.

Well shot?

Yes.
B+.

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

Not at all.
C.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Very early.  L.A. The present.
A.

Is it too long? Too short?

Perfect.
A+.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?.

Yes, and totally.
A+.

Is it predictable?

Only in the sense that they're all gonna die soon.
B-.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

I try not to.  There's a lot in here about not dwelling on the past.  1 sometimes think I live to dwell on the past.  And hold on to my petty regrets.  And those who I blame for them.  Often, it is my reason to get out of bed in the morning.  It's one of my few pleasures.  Don't take that away from me.  My plays and screenplays and novel should require far more attention than they get.  But that's pretty much out of my hands.  Yet,  I blame an entire industry for that.  And I don't have the family genes for longevity either.  My mother died at 61, my father died at 74.
C.

Is it funny?

Often.
A.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

It's already sitting on HBO On Demand.
A.

Is it impressive?

Here and there.
B-.

Overall grade: B-.

A lot of people will like this a lot more than I did.  My next blog entry will also be about death.
But it will be a lot more uplifting.

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My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.,
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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