''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 and American actor known for his roles as Will Truman in the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', Grant MacLaren in Netflix's ''Travelers (TV series), Travelers'', and Dr. Daniel Pierce in the T ...

as Owen Rinard, an uptight retirement home administrator in

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

, 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 Kim Hunter (born Janet Cole; November 12, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar ...

), and Duncan ( Ossie Davis) on a trip to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, 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 cit ...

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

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', 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 September 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ' ...

'', September 29, 2000. It was filmed in Victoria in the summer of 1999. The film's score was composed by Patric Caird."Review: ‘Here’s To Life’"
'' Variety'', November 19, 2000. It also included several original songs by

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Regarded as a pop icon, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American ...

, 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 '' Variety'' 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 The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...

nominations at the 21st Genie Awards 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: 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: 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 English-language comedy-drama films