Getting old isn't for the weak, that's for sure. Sometimes it feels like the entire entertainment industry is geared towards teenagers, unless you're watching CBS, of course. Okay, that joke wasn't fair. Still, as we get older and into our "senior" years, it's important we remember how much we can still get from life, and even thrive like never before. That's the purpose of this list of 32 inspiring movies about aging.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The adventure that awaited the retirees moving to the exotic Marigold Hotel wasn't the kind of adventure they anticipated, but it seemed to be the one that most of them needed. With an all-star cast led by Judi Dench, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel shows that no matter how old you are, or what you have to deal with, you're never too old for an adventure.
The First Grader
There are few stories as inspiring as the true story of Kenyan Kimani Maruge, who was denied an education in his youth, so he decided to start at age 84, enrolling in the first grade. It's one of the best movies about aging and one of the best set in Africa. Truly inspiring.
An Englishman in New York
There are very few movies that highlight aging in the gay community and An Englishman In New York serves to change that. Based on the life of writer and activist Quentin Crisp, the movie is a wonderful look at a man who lived his life to the fullest until his last day. Throughout the movie, you can't help but be inspired by his infectious attitude about life.
Space Cowboys
It's fair to say most of us, or none of us, will be selected by NASA to take to space to repair a satellite, but it's inspiring to see a few old guys do it! Especially when those guys are Clint Eastwood, James Garner, Tommy Lee Jones, and Donald Sutherland. Though it's set in a wild adventure, it addresses issues many people face, like widowhood and cancer diagnoses.
Cocoon
Cocoon is an all-time classic. To be honest, it's not the best movie about aging, as it's really an attempt to escape the inevitable process. But still, it can be a great inspiration to keep your hopes high and keep dreaming, even as you age. Also, the late Wilford Brimley was just 49 years old when production began on the movie, which isn't exactly retirement age.
Going In Style
Casting Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Arkin in a movie about a bunch of old guys robbing a bank and you're off to a great start. The movie isn't perfect, but it's a lot of fun, and a good lesson to remember that even as you age, you can still get away with crimes!
The Old Man And the Gun
It seems that crime, especially bank robbing, is a fun theme for movies about getting older. While we don't condone a life of crime like the real like Forrest Tucker, played by Robert Redford in the movie, we do appreciate that he still finds a way to get a rush. It seems the way to keep himself feeling young and relevant is by robbing banks and escaping prison. More power to him!
The Bucket List
The idea of a bucket list gets more and more important as you age. When you're young, you figure you have all the time in the world to do everything you'll ever want to do. Then you get older and realize life has gotten in the way of a lot of those things. In The Bucket List, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson's characters set out to complete their lists.
Grumpy Old Men
One of the funniest movies about older folks is Grumpy Old Men starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon and feuding best frenemies. In a twisted way, it's great to know that some of your biggest rivalries and friendships could last as long as they did.
Up
Everyone lives with some regrets, and sometimes it's something that you didn't do, rather than something you did. In Up, Carl has lived with the fact that he never fulfilled a promise to his lost love but sets out in his 70s to change that. We're never too old to make good on old promises.
The Intern
Too often, older folks are pushed aside before they are ready and not everyone is always ready for retirement. While the premise of The Intern is a little silly, it's still a fun movie. Robert De Niro is great as the aging intern to Anne Hathaway's CEO and while she is initially skeptical, he wins her over with his knowledge and experience.
The Mule
There are quite a few examples of movies about aging men taking to a life a crime for various reasons, and Clint Eastwood's The Mule is another one of them. Eastwood plays the real-life Leo Sharp, who started running drugs for the Mexican Cartels in his 80s. While Sharp regretted his decision, in a way, the movie shows that truly anything is possible.
Driving Miss Daisy
While revisionist history has not been kind to Driving Miss Daisy, there is no doubt it's still a classic and one of Morgan Freeman's best movies. Freeman and Jessica Tandy are wonderful together and both teach each other new things and help shape new opinions about the world. It's a movie that shows you're never too old to change and grow.
Calendar Girls
Based on a true story, Calendar Girls tells the amazing story of older women going all in on a fundraising campaign by posing provocatively in a "girlie calendar." Obviously, the message is always to be proud of yourself, but really, it's just a very fun movie that tells an amazing story and is great for all ages. Well, most ages, they are scantily-clad, of course.
Book Club
Hollywood has famously been dismissive of older women throughout its history, but in the last couple of decades, that has started to change, and Book Club is a perfect example. With a blockbuster cast that includes Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen, the film shows that even as they age, women still have the same urges and desires they always had. That's not news to women, but it's a message that needs to be sent. It led to a less well-received sequel, but that's ok, the original was great.
The Way
A couple of reasons make The Way worth a watch and worth inclusion on this list. First, it's an inspiring story of a grieving father literally walking in the footsteps of his dead son in The Camino in Spain. The other is because of its real-life connection between the star, Martin Sheen, and his son, Emilio Estevez who wrote and directed it.
The Last Movie Star
The Last Movie Star is a great example of learning to appreciate what life has given you. The film, about an aging film star played by the late Burt Reynolds, is about that star getting a little bamboozled by a tiny film festival and is dismissive of the group. He's somewhat bitter in his old age but learns that he shouldn't be angry, but grateful for those that appreciate him.
On Golden Pond
On Golden Pond is both a little heartbreaking and heartwarming. While it's hard to watch an aging man (Henry Fonda) deal with the onset of dementia and the stress it puts on his wife (Katharine Hepburn), it's important to remember the purpose of the film. Couples that spend a lifetime together start out life with only themselves, and in the end, have only themselves again, which in a way is very romantic.
Queen Bees
Queen Bees is just a fun movie. It's Mean Girls in a retirement community. Ellen Burstyn plays the new girl, Helen, who doesn't fit in with the cool clique, led by Janet (Jane Curtain). It turns the same tropes of a funny high school movie on their heads by revisiting many of the same fears we all have as kids but in the character's later years.
About Schmidt
The Jack Nicholson-led About Schmidt covers a lot of emotions people deal with after retirement. Regret, nostalgia, and frustration all play a part in Schmidt looking back on his life. Regret in his marriage and family, a feeling of a wasted life in his job, and nostalgia for his younger self. Just when the audience thinks he'll never appreciate life, one letter at the end of the movie changes everything.
Golden Years
There is a serious trend of retirees turning to crime in the movies, even in the UK, where we find the pensioners in Golden Years turning to bank robbery out of anger and need. Maybe the lesson learned from all of these is that we as a society should be more appreciative, especially monetarily, of the older generations.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Brad Pitt's performance in the David Fincher film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of the best of his career. Even though Benjamin is aging "backwards," he's still dealing with all the hardest parts of it, but it's made especially acute that those that love him grow older and he grows younger.
The Leisure Seeker
While it's not the best movie on the list, The Leisure Seeker is still a worthwhile movie to watch for the acting talent alone. Donald Sutherland plays a man beginning to feel the symptoms of dementia, while Helen Mirren plays his wife who must face it with him. It's a sweet story about one last road trip to cross an important item off their bucket list.
Gran Torino
Part redemption story, part right-wing fever-dream, Gran Torino, directed and starring Clint Eastwood, tells the story of an aging Korean War vet who must deal with a changing world, and more acutely, a changing neighborhood. Initially angry at the Asian families moving in, eventually he realizes shouldn't be, but it takes a lot of violence to get there.
Waking Ned Devine
Waking Ned Devine isn't about aging, per se, but it's still a really funny film led by older actors. When Ned Devine is found dead with a winning lotto ticket in his hand, by other people in his village in the UK, the town puts together an elaborate ruse to claim the money and while it wasn't super popular on the North American side of the pond, it should've been, because it's a fun movie.
Driving Madeleine
The French film Driving Madeleine takes a lot of inspiration from Driving Miss Daisy. It's not exactly the same, as it all takes place in one day, but it's still an older woman being driven around by a younger man. It's about her life though, as she is on her way to a retirement home but along the way recounts her life as she instructs her driver to take her to important places in her past. It's wonderful.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Ninny (Jessica Tandy), an elderly woman in a nursing home is befriended by her nephew's wife (Kathy Bates) and they form a wonderful friendship that transcends generations and teaches Bates' character a lot about the history of her town. We should always listen to our elders!
Edie
Edie wasn't the most acclaimed movie when it was released in 2017, but it's a great story reinforcing a classic idea–you're never too old to accomplish old goals. Sheila Hancock plays Edie who didn't get to live the life she wanted to, but after her husband's death, sets out to change that.
Beginners
On its face, Beginners is a rom-com, but from an aging point of view, there is a real lesson to take from it in the relationship between Oliver (Ewan McGregor) and his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer). Even more so is the story of Hal, who comes out of the closet at age 75 after his beloved wife dies. Teaching us you're never too old to be yourself.
Driveways
In one of his last roles, the late Brian Dennehy plays an aging military vet who forms an unlikely friendship with the son of his new neighbor. It's a classic story of an older generation teaching the younger and it's very heartwarming.
Poms
Poms isn't the most unique movie on this list. It's the tried and true story of never being too old to achieve your dreams, but it's still a really fun movie. It tells the story of Martha (Diane Keaton) finally becoming a part of a cheerleading squad years after she was denied the opportunity in high school.
Robot And Frank
Robot And Frank is another example of a former convict (Frank Langella) relapsing to crime in his old age this time with the help of a robot his son bought him to help around the house. Maybe the lesson is that you're never too old to keep working. Ah, it doesn't matter, it's a fun movie.
