Just Getting Started never quite gets started

Movie Title: JUST GETTING STARTED

Grade: D

Rating: PG-13, 1 hour 31 minutes

In a Nutshell: With a promising beginning, this lazy comedy just doesn’t get started. It’s a disappointing waste of talent and time.

Surprisingly, this is the first time that Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman have worked in a film together. I love them both.

The movie features a playful rivalry between the two as they battle it out for the Alpha male position at a retirement village with Rene Russo as the prize. Morgan Freeman’s character challenges, “You and I…just getting started.” Their chemistry is good, but the writing is inconsistent in what could be an entertaining war between the two.

The cast includes other delightful, aging actors, but the star power is much greater than the plot and storytelling. It’s mostly funny for people aged 60 and over. Make that 70.

Morgan Freeman’s character sums up his goals, philosophy and this movie when he states, “Sex, booze, golf, and then you die.”

Uplifting theme:

“Happiness is not a condition. It’s a choice.” – Duke (Morgan Freeman)
Friendship

Things I liked:

Given that everyone in the audience I sat with probably has some cans of Ensure in their kitchen pantry, I think it’s funny that the movie is produced, in part, by Endurance Media. Ha ha
Christmas in Palm Springs includes Santa Claus in board shorts and flip flops, Christmas trees on golf carts, and carolers singing to people in hot tubs.
Fun cameo performance by Johnny Mathis
A shout-out for the navigator app “Waze.” I love that app! When Google’s navigator got me lost in Panama, Waze saved the day. True story.
Rene Russo has aged so nicely.

Things I didn’t like:

It’s just not that funny. I was so bored that I kept looking at my watch. Well, I don’t actually wear a watch, but you know what I mean.
I was surprised that all of the big name stars in the movie would go for such a dumb script.
If you want to see a better Morgan Freeman “twilight years” movie, rent The Bucket List
Lots of pointless, boring scenes.
Sadly, this is Glenne Headly’s last movie. She died on June 8, 2017.
Jane Seymour is such a lovely, graceful beauty, but in this movie she plays an over-the-top mob wife who actually looks old and ridiculous.
You hear the snotty words “Shut up!” MANY times by quite a few characters. Once might be funny, but over and over is just sloppy writing and makes all of the characters look equally mean spirited.
Morgan Freeman’s cronies were played by Joe Pantoliano, George Wallace, and Graham Beckel. Sadly, their talent didn’t add much to this lame comedy.
Ron Shelton directed and wrote Tip Cup and Bull Durham, which critics loved. I didn’t. This misfire feels like those movies to me.

Interesting lines:

“A lot of trees have flaws. So do people. You can put the bad side of trees against the wall. What do you do with people?” – Duke Diver (Morgan Freeman)

“That’s deep.” – Jimmy (Nick Peine)

“Write it down.” – Duke

Funny lines:

“If she falls for a drunk Santa Claus, I badly misjudged her character.” – Leo (Tommy Lee Jones)
“I need a cup of coffee.” – Duke

“You need a new liver.” – Leo

“I’m exploring my feminine side.” – Leo

Tips for parents:

Tons of jokes about sex.
The trio of old women who are included for comic relief constantly throw themselves at the men and are always seen with a glass of alcohol. Trio of lushes. Is that like a gaggle of geese?
Some profanity, including one F-bomb.
Guns and shooting
Kids will probably think it’s stupid and just think it’s a movie of a bunch of “old farts.” Surprisingly, no one actually farts in the movie.