Movie with Abe: Senior Moment

Senior Moment
Directed by Giorgio Serafini
Released March 26, 2021

It never feels good to be considered irrelevant. In a society that thrives on increasingly advanced technology, those who aren’t as up to date or might prefer more old-fashioned approaches can get left behind and shut out of many places and activities. Older populations are typically made to feel like their voices shouldn’t be heard and that they are not as capable as they used to be, even if most functionality remains clear. Some will go to incredible lengths to assert their continued existence, which rarely leads to good results. In this mediocre comedy, a car and an unexpected romances compel one man to make sure everyone knows he’s still around with something to say.

Victor Martin (William Shatner) is a retired NASA pilot who spends a good chunk of his time driving his prized Porsche with his friend Sal (Christopher Lloyd). After a few too many encounters with the law, Victor finds his license and car taken away. Now that he has to take the bus, he has the chance to meet Caroline (Jean Smart), who runs a café. As he prepares to fight for the right to get back on the road in court, Victor reconsiders his priorities and wonders whether settling down late in life might actually be the smart choice for him.

This film’s title has a clear double meaning, referencing the tendency for older people to forget something briefly, often in the middle of a sentence. There are scenes where Victor finds himself suddenly lost and not aware of exactly what is going on, and he’s certainly out of touch with how the world operates in a number of ways, as his familiarity with local police would indicate. Being left without the ability to get around on his own strikes him as more urgent and important than anything that has happened in a long time, and his introduction to Caroline allows him to have one more thing to focus on and keep his going.

Shatner is an actor who’s always had a particular charm, from his early days as a leading man on “Star Trek” to his more recent comic relief work in “Boston Legal” and other projects. Having just celebrated his ninetieth birthday earlier this week, he shows no signs of slowing down, and he’s a great fit for this part, opposite a typically dependable Smart. This film is light and feels like a relic of the past, one that may not be all that modern and in no way groundbreaking, but a harmless piece of entertainment that delivers exactly what it promises.

B-