Take 37: Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

Tuesday: My "take" on a film.

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005)

One chance meeting. Two changed lives.

Mrs. Palfrey (Joan Plowright) moves to London and books a room at the Claremont, a residential hotel-style retirement center. Her grandson also lives in the city, but he doesn't return her calls. With a literal misstep, she stumbles into an endearing friendship with a young man, Ludo (Rupert Friend). She invites him to dine with her at the Claremont and when the quirky residents learn she will have a young male guest, they assume it is her "mythical" grandson... and she doesn't correct them.

Thanks to Leonard Maltin's 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen for recommending this lovely film. He states, "If you refuse to accept the premise that a man in his twenties could express genuine friendship for a woman in her seventies, this is not your kind of story."

Well, I accept that premise, especially when I reflect on the young whipper snappers who befriended me when I returned to school at age fifty. Besides, Mrs. Palfrey is kind, gentle, and wise...

MRS. PALFREY

But, you know, things are meant to happen.

Destiny might lead us to the path, but the

rest of it is up to us. Always remember to

make the most of every moment. It's the

single most important lesson of my life.

...I want her for my grandmother and friend, too!

Notes on content:

• No profanity.
• No violence.
• A young man and his girlfriend are shown in bed together, kissing, with bare upper bodies visible but no private parts revealed. Also a scene with a bare-chested young man sitting at a desk, typing.