MovieChat Forums > The Sunshine Boys (1976) Discussion > I found this to be...

I found this to be...

posted 3 years ago by Enigmaticocean77 (2440)
1 reply | jump to latest

...very sad. It's about two old men who are suffering from what appears to be dementia. As someone who has taken care of someone with this ailment until they died, it hit a little bit too close to home. I didn't find it funny. I just found it depressing.

This isn't to besmirch Burns and Matthau, I usually enjoy their work going all the way back to their beginnings, but I just can't laugh about dementia patients, and their nephew getting mad at them at every turn.

I don't understand the high rating that it has.

[–] Tabbycat (878) 6 months ago

Saw this in a theater at 14 and never laughed harder.
They’d made a movie about my dad!

Just saw it again last night for what I’m sure will be the last time.
No plans to bring over a date to watch a great old movie I once enjoyed.
Like you, I found it sad.
Truthful, but sad.
Their conflict and the resulting misery for all seems unnecessary.
Why doesn’t Willie just tell Al how hurt he felt when Al quit on him?
That he couldn’t handle losing such a big part of his life?
Rifts like this can be worked out with a little effort and humility, and it’s definitely worth doing.