IMDb RATING
6.5/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
A withdrawn senior experiences life in new ways when he begins spending time with the free-spirited woman who lives across the hall.A withdrawn senior experiences life in new ways when he begins spending time with the free-spirited woman who lives across the hall.A withdrawn senior experiences life in new ways when he begins spending time with the free-spirited woman who lives across the hall.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
Deanna Rashell
- Laura
- (as Deanna Meske)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaElsa & Fred (2014), set in New Orleans, is an English-language remake of the 2005 Spanish-Argentinian film of the same name --- Elsa y Fred (2005). The film was shot on location in New Orleans because of tax incentives, according to Shirley MacLaine.
- Quotes
Elsa Hayes: Life is long, and when you've lived so many years, and you do things, and you don't think when you're doing them, that they matter all that much. And then one day you wake up and you realize that you managed quite a bit, and so much so that you can't even remember all of it.
- ConnectionsAlternate-language version of Elsa y Fred (2005)
- SoundtracksShake It
Written by James Longford (ASCAP) and Adam Longlands (BMI)
Performed by James Langford
Courtesy of Cutting Edge Music (Holdings) Limited
Featured review
Wonderful.
I just finished watching Elsa & Fred and really, really enjoyed myself. However, at the same time I wonder just how many folks will go and see this neat little movie. After all, it's about two very old and rather strange people who find love in their final years...and this sort of thing isn't exactly box office gold. Most romance pictures today involve very young, very beautiful people and not people in their 80s! Frankly...I'm a bit tired of those typical love stories. Some recent films like Something's Gotta Give, The Face of Love and now Elsa & Fred have all explore relationships with folks who are neither taut, tanned nor twenty-something and I say more power to 'em!
Christopher Plummer stars as Fred--a cranky old widower who is sick to death over losing his independence and has no desire to grow old gracefully. When his daughter arranges for him to move to a new apartment, he seems content with just lying in bed...waiting to die. However, his rock-solid retirement plans are upset due to his eccentric neighbor, Elsa (Shirley MacLaine). Unlike Fred, she is vivacious and full of life--and loves to make up lies about the fantastic life she's led. To put it bluntly, she's a bit of a wacko....but a fun wacko. And, they soon decide to throw caution to the wind and enjoy their final days together.
While the ending is a bit of a downer (I gotta be honest about this), I thoroughly enjoyed the film because these two quirky characters seemed so unlike the people you normally see in movies. They are not walking clichés but older people who have needs, desires and dreams--and who refuse to grow old gracefully! Plummer and MacLaine are simply terrific and it also didn't hurt that they had a very strong supporting cast--which is surprising considering that this is a relatively low-budget film. But, despite the budget, it really doesn't skimp on anything and really delivers. Plus, it made me smile...and not enough movies do that.
NOTE: After seeing this wonderful film, I learned that it is a remake--and much of it is almost exactly like the Spanish language original. Because of this, I knock a point off this one and recommend you first see the 2005 version. Now I am not saying it's better--but it is original.
Christopher Plummer stars as Fred--a cranky old widower who is sick to death over losing his independence and has no desire to grow old gracefully. When his daughter arranges for him to move to a new apartment, he seems content with just lying in bed...waiting to die. However, his rock-solid retirement plans are upset due to his eccentric neighbor, Elsa (Shirley MacLaine). Unlike Fred, she is vivacious and full of life--and loves to make up lies about the fantastic life she's led. To put it bluntly, she's a bit of a wacko....but a fun wacko. And, they soon decide to throw caution to the wind and enjoy their final days together.
While the ending is a bit of a downer (I gotta be honest about this), I thoroughly enjoyed the film because these two quirky characters seemed so unlike the people you normally see in movies. They are not walking clichés but older people who have needs, desires and dreams--and who refuse to grow old gracefully! Plummer and MacLaine are simply terrific and it also didn't hurt that they had a very strong supporting cast--which is surprising considering that this is a relatively low-budget film. But, despite the budget, it really doesn't skimp on anything and really delivers. Plus, it made me smile...and not enough movies do that.
NOTE: After seeing this wonderful film, I learned that it is a remake--and much of it is almost exactly like the Spanish language original. Because of this, I knock a point off this one and recommend you first see the 2005 version. Now I am not saying it's better--but it is original.
Helpful•476
- planktonrules
- Nov 11, 2014
- Permalink
- How long is Elsa & Fred?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $12,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $285,863
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $65,275
- Nov 9, 2014
- Gross worldwide
- $753,975
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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![Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer in Elsa & Fred (2014)](http://178.128.105.246/host-https-m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjM4MzIyNzQ1N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMjQyNzY3MjE@._V1_QL75_UY133_CR0,0,90,133_.jpg)