If only every inspirational documentary
could be as delightfully diverting as “If You’re Not In the Obit, Eat
Breakfast,” a lively exploration of the pronounced vitality shared by
95-year-old Carl Reiner and his many nonagenarian cohorts who still
greet each morning raring to go.
Encouragingly, director Danny
Gold found no shortage of examples in this endearing profile, among them
Mel Brooks (90), Norman Lear (94),
Betty White
(95), Dick Van Dyke (91), Tony Bennett (crooning “The Best Is Yet to
Come” at 90), Stan Lee (94) and Kirk Douglas, affectingly interviewed by
Reiner just prior to his 100th birthday.
Good genes aside, it’s readily apparent that these folks thrive on camaraderie and the love of a good laugh.
The
title, which refers to the occasion Reiner — a prolific tweeter who has
written five books since entering into his ninth decade — opened the
L.A. Times in 2014 only to discover a prominent archival photo of
himself alongside the just-departed Polly Bergen.
“I wished they hadn’t picked a picture that scared the … out of me!” quips Reiner, who needed to pinch himself for reassurance.
While
Gold also calls on relative youngsters to weigh in, like Jerry
Seinfeld, truth is he could have spent the entire time just having
longtime buddies Reiner, Brooks and Lear sitting around schmoozing — and
it would never get old.
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‘If You’re Not In the Obit, Eat Breakfast’
Not rated
Running time: 1 hour, 26 minutes
Playing: Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica; premieres June 5 on HBO.
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