Late last
year, England’s Channel Four broadcast a documentary called Young@Heart
(I know, I know…At least it hasn’t become Yung@Heart in an attempt to
capitalize on the Yung Joc/Yung Won rap nomenclature craze) about a group of
senior citizens that regularly convene in order to rock out on cover versions of
songs from the likes of The Clash, Radiohead, Outkast, The Strokes, and Sonic
Youth, alternating between serious re-interpretation (“Fake Plastic Trees”) and
campy loopiness (Guess which Outkast song they perform?). It was something of a
sensation, and part of what’s been fueling the rage is that the group, The
Young@Heart Chorus, is a (barely) living, touring entity with ever-changing lineups that
has been functioning since 1982. Even if you don’t dig the music, it’s a rather
adorable spectacle, and if I have to choose between this and rapping grandmothers, then bring on the Chorus.
Working
Title Films, the hot banner behind Hot Fuzz and the successful Mr.
Bean movies, took notice and decided to amp up the phenomenon even
further by optioning the documentary into a feature film. There’s no word on
writers, directors, or casting yet, but the sheer cutesy-ness seems to make
this a can’t miss concept. It kind of bums me out that they’re forsaking the
original documentary and the real people in order to do an even fluffier
version of the story, but just compare the grosses of School of Rock and the
documentary Rock School, and that pretty much settles that. But as long as
you’re faking it, why not have some fun with the concept? I wanna see a
between the ensemble of the decrepit and perhaps…..oh….The Arcade Fire? Perhaps
one of the leaders can fall into rehab where he meets up with Pete Doherty and
they snort up half the northern border of
with the Gallagher brothers? They’d be fools to ignore these important modern rock rites of passage.
The good
news is that the film is being produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, a
dynamic duo who’ve had their hands on an eclectic mix of films from the
aforementioned Fuzz to Smokin’ Aces to United 93.