''Here's to Life!'' is a Canadian comedy-drama film by Arne Olsen, released in 2000.

Plot

The film stars

Eric McCormack Eric James McCormack (born April 18, 1963) is a Canadian-American actor and singer, known for his roles as Will Truman in the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', Grant MacLaren in Netflix's ''Travelers'' and Dr. Daniel Pierce in the TNT crime drama ...

as Owen Rinard, an uptight

retirement home A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple in ...

administrator in

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...

, who is caught cheating on the company's taxes by a resident, and is blackmailed into taking Gus (

James Whitmore James Allen Whitmore Jr. (October 1, 1921 – February 6, 2009) was an American actor. He received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Theatre World Award, and a Tony Award, plus two Ac ...

), Nelly ( Kim Hunter), and Duncan (

Ossie Davis Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He and his wife were named to the NAACP ...

) on a trip to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

, so that each can experience a long-held dream: Gus wants to go salmon fishing in the Pacific Ocean; Nelly, a former music teacher, wants to attend the symphony; and Duncan, a retired boxer, wants to attend a highly anticipated prize fight in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

."Graceful geezers loosen up grumpy young man". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', August 24, 2001. Owen himself, in turn, meets and connects romantically with Carley ( Marya Delver), an employee in the hotel casino.

Production

The film's original working title was ''Old Hats''."Old, Old Hats shows up at festival". ''

Victoria Times-Colonist The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily C ...

'', September 29, 2000. It was filmed in Victoria in the summer of 1999. The film's score was composed by

Patric Caird Patric Caird is a Canadian film and television composer and musician. Biography Patric Caird has been working as a composer for film and television since the early 1990s. In that time he has written more than 400 film and television scores which h ...

."Review: ‘Here’s To Life’"
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', November 19, 2000. It also included several original songs by

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...

, several years before he rose to international fame.

Critical response

In ''

'', Ray Conlogue wrote that Whitmore, Hunter, and Davis kept the movie watchable, but concluded that "''Here's to Life'' starts briskly, develops shakily and finishes preposterously. Only those who have been really rotten to their aged parents should see this movie, and then only by way of expiation." Ken Eisner of ''

'' called it a "by-the-numbers heartwarmer" which had the potential to be modestly successful among older audiences, but was likely to play better on television than in a theatre.

Awards

The film garnered eight Genie Award nominations at the

21st Genie Awards The 21st Genie Awards were held in 2001 to honour films released in 2000. The ceremony was hosted by Brian Linehan. Nominees and winners The Genie Award winner in each category is shown in bold along with nominees. References {{Canadian Scree ...

in 2001:"Cast, crew of film hopes to make winning Old Hat: Here's To Life gets Eight Genie Nominations". ''

'', January 28, 2001. * Best Actor: James Whitmore *

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...

: Kim Hunter * Best Costume Design: Patricia Hargreaves * Best Sound: Bill Sheppard, Mark Berger and Ruth Huddleston * Best Sound Editing: Dean Giammarco, Maija Burnett, Kris Fenske, John Ludgate and Brendan Ostrander *

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

: Michael Bublé, "Dumb Ol' Heart" and "I've Never Been in Love Before" * Best Original Score: Patric Caird

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0207638 2000 films 2000 comedy-drama films Canadian comedy-drama films English-language Canadian films Films shot in British Columbia Films set in British Columbia 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films