Here's a slice of life movie that ought to be appreciated by older viewers, particularly aging couples going through the same sort of emotions as Alex (Morgan Freeman) and Ruth Carver (Diane Keaton). Deciding to move out of their fifth story apartment, the story follows the travails of selling one's residence and buying another, especially when your heart really isn't into it. Backdropping the main story is an incident with a bus abandoned on a bridge tying up traffic, with its driver presumed to be a terrorist for all the havoc that's created. Oh yes, and the dog owned by Alex and Ruth is getting on in years, and needs an expensive surgery in order to remain mobile, as her back legs are no longer working.

Minor insights into the human condition abound in the movie, such as the busybody woman who goes to all the real estate showings in the neighborhood as a form of entertainment. The Carver's agent (Cynthia Nixon) is Ruth's niece, who's true colors emerge at the conclusion of the film when she abruptly learns there will be no commission for her due diligence. One of the things that makes the story for me is the presence of the young girl Zoe (Sterling Jerins),who has these adult conversations with Alex, and who is yet to be tainted by the world's cynicism and duplicity.

In the end, I think most viewers can figure out what the resolution to the story will be. I like to think that maybe the film makers were giving a subliminal nod to "The Wizard of Oz" with the screenplay here, as the Carver's dog was named Dorothy, and just like the character in that famous film, what's eventually decided by Ruth and Alex is that there's just no place like home.

Or still here. If you have two great actors like that in a movie, you can not go wrong. Watching them play off each other is a blast. Morgan Freeman might have aged (like we all do),but he's has a presence that can be felt. Drama might not be everyones cup of tea, but if it is, you should watch a couple trying to cope with the fact they are getting older and how to spend their time.

Also where to spend their time and if the lifestyle they are used to is still something they should be going after. It's easier to move into something smaller, although on the other hand it's always tough to leave something familiar behind. So while the stakes seem not really high (and they aren't, this is a light affair),the movie can be convincing, if only for the acting talent at hand

I recently saw Richard Loncraine's "Richard III", an adaptation of Shakespeare's play with the action transposed to a fascist version of 1930s England, with Ian McKellen playing the title role. Therefore, it was a pleasant surprise to see that Loncraine also directed "5 Flights Up". This movie has two parallel stories. One is that a New York couple (Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton) are looking to move to a new apartment. The other is that a presumed terrorist act dominates the news, and the characters can't stop watching. The awkward situations arrive when prospective buyers come, as everyone gets in each other's way. I guess that it doesn't make sense to stay home when people want to look at the place.

It's not a masterpiece, but definitely an enjoyable movie featuring complex characters. I recommend it.

"I don't speak Muslim." Ha!