The Boynton Beach Bereavement Club

F. Scott Fitzgerald once claimed that American lives had no second acts; the characters in The Boynton Beach Bereavement Club, the new geriatric sex comedy situated in that lovely old folks' area near Boca Raton, try to prove him wrong.

They are a mixed batch of people who have all sought out the Bereavement Club for the same reason: To mourn the death of a loved one. Jack (Len Cariou) is dealing with both the death of his wife and the advances of the comely Sandy (Sally Kellerman). Marilyn (Brenda Vaccaro) is learning to cope with the rage and anger that comes after her husband is run down by an obnoxious old lady on a cell phone. Jack's friend Harry (Joseph Bologna) lies about himself on Internet dating sites and gets more bang for his buck than he could have thought possible. Marilyn's friend Lois (Dyan Cannon) has found a charming new beau (Michael Nouri) who likes roller skating and beachside picnicking "” but is he really a real estate developer?

For those who fear that Boynton Beach might be either sitcom or gross-out, I am pleased to report that the film is neither and that, despite the occasional easy caricature (the early-bird Chinese special, the disaffected Goth granddaughter, the biddies doing water aerobics on an early weekend morning), it consistently stays rooted in its characters. They are likeable people, some of whom are looking for love, all of whom are lonely, and much of their genuineness doubtless came from the real-life stories that the director, Susan Seidelman, heard at an actual society not unlike the one in the film.

By far the hardest nut to crack is Jack, who clings to his beloved's memory, but over the course of the film he will go from a lonely single guy with the tuna casseroles piling up to a man perfectly willing to ruin veal scaloppini for two. Cariou, better-known for his work on Broadway than in film (he originated the role of Sweeney Todd), gives a marvelous performance as a practical man unwilling to be nudged out of old habits, almost an older Jewish version of William Hurt's character in The Accidental Tourist.

The rest of the cast also rises to the occasion, and one of the easy pleasures of Beach is the way in which it provides strong opportunities for quality performers long since thought AWOL. As the shiksa goddess who grabs hold of Jack each time he tries to run away, Kellerman (a veteran of such boys' club comedies as M*A*S*H and Back to School) creates a gentle, understanding foil off of which he can work; it is a shame, in fact, that she does not have her own narrative but only exists as a part of Jack's. Vaccaro provides a pillar of vulnerability that

sets the tone nicely for the rest of the film. Cannon, who carved out a niche in the '70s playing kooks in flicks like Heaven Can Wait and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, looks hideous under several rounds of plastic surgery but nevertheless plays a hopeful mixed-up woman to perfection, willing to do anything to lie about her age. And Bologna has a good time playing a sleazeball whotalks tough but is easily humbled.

The key to the movie, perhaps, comes in a speech that Harry gives as he and Jack sit by Harry's pool; Jack has a date with Sandy that night, and who knows what will happen. It's different with your wife, Harry says, because you start having sex when you're young and then grow old together; but when you're with a new woman and you take off your clothes, you realize for the first time in a long time that you're ancient. Harry tells Jack, though, that it's still more than worth it.

A nice undercurrent of the movie actually deals with the need not just for romantic companionship, but friendship as well. Jack and Harry have their scenes together, but the fresh and funny interplay between little Lois and big Marilyn (and what a shame it is that the writers do not give the fat lady a partner!) help to make the movie sing. These two women will support each other through anything, and the film's most beautiful moment comes when Lois says to Marilyn, "You know that you were the best thing to happen to me this year," to which Marilyn responds, "You, too."

Profundity is a lot to ask of a movie; Beach means no harm and does no harm, and when it is over we are none the worse for having seen it. By no means is it a great film, but for a great number of people (particularly the older ones), it will leave a smile on the face "” and some hope in the heart.

Movie Grade: B

Synopsis:

The Boynton Beach Bereavement Club takes place in a town where golf carts and Chinese buffets are as common as palm trees. The film focuses on a small group of senior citizens who all have one thing in common: They have sought out the Bereavement Club to seek solace in others after the death of a spouse.

Solace, however, can come in many forms, and the exchanging of telephone numbers is an all-too-common sight. Is widower Jack (Len Cariou) ready for the advances of the comely Sandy (Sally Kellerman)? Can Lois (Dyan Cannon) loosen up around the mysterious Donald (Michael Nouri)? How will Marilyn (Brenda Vaccaro) deal with the anger that fills her after her husband's death? And will Harry (Joseph Bologna) ever get laid again?

Come to Boynton Beach, and

find out what it's like to be single again.