Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

moonspinner55 Gaspingly pretentious portrait of characters at a resort hotel and spa in the Swiss Alps. Michael Caine is a British widower and retired symphony conductor--an annual guest at the spa for some 20 years--who refuses a request from an emissary of the Queen of England to conduct again for Prince Philip's birthday celebration. Caine's grown daughter is temporarily staying with him; she's distraught over her recent breakup with the son of another guest, screenwriter Harvey Keitel, an exercise-friend of Caine's who commiserates with him over their combined years and non-working body parts. Other guests include a rock-climbing instructor, a film actor, assorted child prodigies, a beauty contest winner, et al. Writer-director Paolo Sorrentino has a grandiose visual concept, which he makes clear within the film's first 10 minutes; however, his artistically-composed shots of naked, sagging bodies (usually slumped over in states of depression, inert in the steam rooms or floating aimlessly in the swimming pools) are not especially pointed or amusing. The shots call attention themselves, probably to distract the viewer from the lack of substance in the writing (or interest in the central characters). Caine, pinkish-white like a rabbit, seems to look out at the world with bleary eyes--but is this the character or simply the actor in bad physical shape? Keitel doesn't appear very spry either, but the worst is saved for Jane Fonda (in a bad blonde wig) as a jaded, foulmouthed actress just in from Los Angeles (she asks Keitel expository questions to set the scene: "How long have we known each other, Mick?"). "Youth" flatlines at the one-hour mark--with another 63 minutes on the clock. * from ****

Bassem must have been the alternative title to this Film (with a capital F).There is a fine line kept throughout the narrative: somewhere between the real and surreal, making the identification with the characters easier than unusual, while allowing for most surreal situations and dialog.Rachel Weisz, Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel and Paul Dano really brought their respective roles to life. The many small roles were enriching as well, especially Jane Fonda's wonderful cameo!But there were two other stars which made this Film a masterpiece in artistic collaboration: the cinematographer Luca Bigazzi, whose every frame is worthy of a wall to hang from and David Lang whose original music brought it all together.Writing, directing, filming, performances and music, in this particular case, make for great Cinema… I was touched to tears.

John Doe Youth is a film that ironically would have been wasted on me when I was younger. My 20 year old self would have hated this film and probably switched it off after 15 minutes. So I can understand the mixed reviews this film gets. There is little or no action until the last 20 minutes, but for me the best parts were the quiet scenes with no action. There are many scenes where something is hinted at or insinuated. But nothing is ever spelled out for you. I was left thinking a lot about what I had just seen, trying to interpret what it meant or what was about to happen when the scene ended. Youth is beautifully shot, so if you're in the mood for a quiet film with gorgeous visuals and a dreamy soundtrack this is perfect. The plot, or more precisely the premise is about a group of people in a very picturesque holiday resort where everything looks heavenly and relaxing. They talk about life and old age etc. It sounds dull but for me those were the best parts. I only felt it lost its way towards the end, specifically at the moment Jane Fonda showed up. Even though she's very good in this (as is everyone else), her first scene is a long drawn out conversation with Harvey Keitel which shifts the mood of the piece completely. For the first time in the film I found myself bored because the scene dragged me out of the dreamlike mood that had gone before. After that the film trudged on to its finale but never recaptured the spirit of the first 90 minutes. But overall I recommend this film because it was unlike anything else I can recall seeing.

The Couchpotatoes Like someone said before, or you love this movie or you won't think much of it. You can categorize me with the second option, I didn't think much of it and could not wait for this movie to be over. I've just been lured by the names of the cast. Harvey Keitel and Michael Caine are both actors I really like and even in this movie they do a good job with their acting performances. The filming techniques are also excellent, nothing bad to say about that. The nature scenery from Switzerland are also nice to look at. So why would I rate Youth below average? Because when I watch a movie I need to be entertained, the movie has to have an interesting story, a story well told. And even for drama's that are not necessary my thing the story has to be interesting, and sometimes it is. But with Youth I didn't get anything of that. It's a long boring story about basically nothing. Too bad because you had all the right ingredients to make it a good movie. But without a decent story you can't have a good movie.