MovieChat Forums > Hollywoodland (2006) Discussion > All about getting older

All about getting older

posted 11 years ago by Taylorfirst1
6 replies | jump to latest

I don't know how much of this movie is true but the theme of the movie is about getting older and attempts to hold off the aging process.

George Reeves wants to be a movie star but he gets a job playing Superman and is not satisfied with it. However, by the time he stops playing Superman he is getting too old to play a new leading man in movies and everyone still wants him to be the fit young Superman. He also has a midlife crisis where he gets engaged to a beautiful younger woman but that relationship fails and he feels he is too old to be the man he always wanted to be.

Diane Lane's character tries to stay young by keeping a handsome young boy toy all to herself.

The studio exec stays young with his young Japanese mistress.

Adrian Brody is dealing with the fact that he has not reached his goals in life and compensates with a younger woman. He is also dealing with the fact that his son is getting older and learning about life. At the end he decides to "grow up" himself and focus on his family.

Even the old man who was constantly working out by the hotel pool was obviously trying to stop father time from catching up to him.

Thoughts?

With great power comes great responsibility.

[–] mmitsos-1 10 years ago

Yes, I definitely saw that theme throughout the film as well. I thought that this film was great, an easy 8 out 10, which is why I can NOT understand the low overall rating of 6.6. Crazy.

[–] Taylorfirst1 10 years ago

I agree that the rating is a little low. I thought this was a good movie.

With great power comes great responsibility.

[–] Noir-It-All 10 years ago

Excellent points. Plus the studios and employees were going through a lot of investigations and changes.

[–] contact-258 10 years ago

Don't we all deal with getting older every day?

I thought the themes were classic film noir themes of self-destructive tendencies, cynicism, nihilism and meaninglessness of life. Brody's life falling apart was a classic exhibition of that. It was a beautiful film.

[–] JHT 10 years ago

I agree. When we (and Brody) are invited to view the home movie, my conclusion was that I saw someone not only depressed but ageing. The rolls were half-hearted rather than dynamic and any smile on his face was obviously false. Diane Lane's character is self-conscious about age and there's a number of relationships with an age differential.

Brody's home movie at the end could be him looking at his own future, accepting that he needed to mature.

[–] sage2112 9 years ago

Not really growing older. Growing less wanted. It's Hollyweirdland, dontcha see.