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Recent Discussions

Netflix, Inc.

Do You Agree With Our Midlife Crisis Movie List?

Greg's picture

Our two previous lists (here, and here) of midlife crisis movies have seventeen entries between them. Bruce Kirkland of the Edmonton Sun nominates six films in his "best mid-life crisis movies" story. Five of them are not on our list. Should we add them?

In addition to "American Beauty," which we had on our earlier lists, he adds:


City Slickers -- midlife crisis set up the cowboy vacation, but played little other role. A dubious entry.

The Big Chill -- the cast were supposed to be in their mid-thirties (fifteen years or so out of college), but the atmosphere was definitely roads not taken and lost youth, so we'll buy this as a midlife crisis movie.

Adaptation -- Kirkland writes that it "tackles many issues, among them the middle-age crisis facing the dual Kaufman characters played by Nicolas Cage." I only remember my brain hurting while watching it, so I'll have to take Kirkland's word for it.


The Decline of the American Empire / Barbarian Invasions -- I haven't seen these. Kirkland writes that they "plumb so deep into middle-age angst that it hurts."



Our previous entries, in alphabetical order (click on the link or image to go to the movie's Amazon page):

American Beauty

About Schmidt

Broken Flowers

Bull Durham

Grosse Pointe Blank

High Fidelity

In Good Company

The Incredibles

Lord of War

Lost in America

Lost in Translation

Middle Age Crazy

Something Wild

Something's Gotta Give

The Upside of Anger

Weather Man

Wonder Boys

4.5
 
 

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goinglikesixty's picture

Movies

That's a darn good list. I was ready to blast Adaptation until I read the comment. I felt the same way.
A couple to add to my Netflix queue.

Wesley's picture

Arkin in Grosse Point Blank

To me one of the best supporting roles of all time was Alan Arkin in Grosse Pointe Blank playing the hit man's therapist.

Wesley Hein
Wesley [at] lifetwo [dot] com
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Greg's picture

And the Oscar for "Best Male Midlife Crisis" goes to ...

... one of five actors who appear in more than one of these movies:

Nicholas Cage: Adaptation, Lord of War, The Weather Man
Kevin Costner: Bull Durham, The Upside of Anger (and cut from the Big Chill)
John Cusack: Grosse Pointe Blank, High Fidelity
Jack Nicholson: About Schmidt, Something's Gotta Give
Bill Murray: Broken Flowers, Lost in Translation

The only actress who's in more than one is Scarlett Johansson, and I don't think she's ready for a midlife crisis just yet.

Anonymous's picture

Shall We Dance...

Need I say more?

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