I know for certain that I’m going to be a cantankerous old bastard. Every time I look in the mirror, it’s staring back at me: a man who in 20 years will be chasing the neighborhood kids off his lawn.
Case in point: this morning I awoke bushy tailed and bright-eyed at my old lady’s, hopped in my car and headed home to get ready for work. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized that I’d left my house keys on her nightstand. Damnit. Locked out. I got back in my car and drove bumper-to-bumper in rush-hour traffic. What’s normally a 10-minute drive, now a 25-minute drive. Why is that lady just staring at her phone and holding up traffic? Why isn’t that mini-van merging even though I’m giving him berth? Why? WHY?! We need a plague!
So when I saw the title of Curmudgeons over a tuxedo-clad, wheelchair-bound Danny DeVito, I thought, this window into the future of me oughta warm the cockles.
It does and then some — but not how I expected. All you need to know is that Curmudgeons was a play by Joshua Conkel, which DeVito caught with his daughter Lucy, who also stars in the short. They loved it and decided to turn it into a film, which DeVito directed. David Margulies, a character actor you’ll likely recognize from countless roles, including Tony Soprano’s lawyer, reprises his role from the play, as well.
The twist is absolutely great (not gonna tell you; you’ll have to watch). It’s totally lifted my spirit about the human condition, and is a risible reminder that life is precious, short and… ah hell, just watch it, you bum.
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