Young@Heart

The Young@Heart Chorus is a vocal group from Northampton, MA, who have earned an international reputation for their unique interpretations of songs by Sonic Youth, the Ramones, and the Clash. However, this isn't a teenage garage band attacking the classic punk rock songbook -- the Young@Heart Chorus ...more

Acquiring 24 new grandparents isn't a fate most adults would choose. But documentary filmmaker Stephen Walker did just that when he set out to make Young@Heart, a charming chronicle about a senior citizen's troupe that performs "mature" renditions of punk and rock 'n' roll tunes like The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" and Sonic Youth's "Schizophrenia." These vivacious seniors wipe the floor with the clichéd societal notion about music that says, "If it's too loud, you're too old!" ...more

The thought of a documentary about a choir of 80-year-olds performing songs by the Clash and Sonic Youth might be enough to send the average person running for an insulin injection, but for the most part Young@Heart director Stephen Walker keeps the sappiness to a minimum. Occasionally, Walker can't help playing up the inherent cuteness of the conceit, but those moments are more than tempered, however, by film's two most fascinating people -- Bob Cilman and Fred Knittle. Cilman, the dedicated ...more