Even the smaller roles have moments here that are seems to annoy me. When you've got a film set in a retirement home, anything is bound to happen. Then cast people like Brian Cox, James Fox and Lauren Bacall in the major roles, and all looks well from the start. There is a Norwegian woman with extremely red hair and a ton of makeup that all she has to do is flirt and smirk, and she gets a ton of laughs. The story surrounds Cox, making his way to the funeral of a friend, wanting to give him his last wish which are not being honored by the way he is buried.

Newcomer to the retirement home Fox becomes his rival for the intentions of the glamorous Bacall, the widow of a wealthy Norwegian, herself from Texas. Watch as Bacall diss tracks a funeral director with the story about wanting to be buried with her late husband as they've been sleeping together for 40 years. "All you have to do is just slip me in" she says in hysterical manner. But it's not all about the seniors either. There's a younger romance going on too, but that's obviously done so the energetic seniors in the film could have a coffee break. They are the life and blood of this movie.

Filmed on location in Norway, this is gorgeous to look at, and it's very bold and brassy in the way that the seniors are presented. Fox seems like someone out of a Noel Coward play, while Cox is obviously someone out of a Wallace Beery movie. Bacall really seems to be having a ball with her juicy part, hasn't been confined to major cameos in most of the films that she did in the last three decades of her life. Of the three, Cox has the showiest role, and it wouldn't be surprising to discover that somewhere along the line in his career that he played Santa. He was an absolute delight and totally lovable. A sweet little surprise that will provide the audience with big smiles.

Brian Cox plays a happy go lucky salty sea dog who is determined to bury his recently departed best friend at sea, against the wishes of just about everyone.

Whimsical, gently comedy with some funny lines and scenes occasionally punctuated with just about palatable sentiment. It lacks an element of panache that it badly needs, but the cast are fine, it's nice to see Lauren Bacall and all in all makes for a pleasant but hardly groundbreaking 90 minutes.

A movie slated by too many! It's essentially a reimagining of the classic Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau combo The Odd Couple with Brian (not Professor) Cox and James Fox trying to do right by an old friend. A good gentle comedy that Ealing would have been proud of. Ignore the nay sayers and give it a go. For me a good Christmas Eve movie when nothing else was on. Enjoy.