| Lovely, Still | |
| Director: | Nicholas Fackler |
| Producer: | Dana Altman James Lawler Jay Van Hoy Lars Knudsen |
| Starring: | Martin Landau Ellen Burstyn Adam Scott Elizabeth Banks |
| Music: | Mike Mogis Nate Walcott |
| Cinematography: | Sean Kirby |
| Editing: | Douglas Crise |
| Studio: | North Sea Films |
| Distributor: | Monterey Media |
| Country: | United States |
| Budget: | $5 million[1] |
Lovely, Still is a 2008 American romantic drama film directed by Nik Fackler. It stars Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn, Adam Scott, and Elizabeth Banks. Filming took place in Omaha, Nebraska. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008 and received a limited theatrical release two years later on September 10, 2010.
Lonely Robert Malone falls in love with Mary, the mother of his neighbor Alex. With the help of his boss Mike, Robert decides to spend Christmas with someone for the first time. Over a period of a few days and with the "co-conspiratorial help" from the grocery store manager, as a couple they enjoy several activities leading up to Christmas, including things like a carriage ride, a shopping spree, attending a musical performance together, and a party. At the party, Robert mistakenly accuses another older man of being the rotten, no good husband who had left Mary before. As the story progresses, we begin to understand that Mary knows a lot more and is much more concerned about making Robert happy day-by-day than might be otherwise expected for a senior couple, including moments of quiet intimacy. As the film draws to a close, we find out that Alex, Mike, Mary, and even the "alleged" boyfriend are all part of the story, as it is Robert's condition of Alzheimer's / senile dementia taking him away from them for days at a time, leading to a very sweet ending.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 73% based on 22 reviews.[2]
Landau and Burstyn received praise for their performances.[3] Jennie Punter of The Globe and Mail wrote, "There are moments during Lovely, Still when it feels like you're trapped with Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn in a kitschy musical Christmas snowglobe that someone keeps shaking", but "Landau and Burstyn deliver beautiful, nuanced performances, creating a real and captivating onscreen chemistry. It’s a testament to their talent that you find yourself slowly drawn into the bubble (make that snowglobe) of Robert and Mary’s budding romance, as the music swells, the snowflakes flutter down and Christmas Day draws nearer."[4]