Still Mine (2013)

Still Mine is an appealing film with great heart that is highlighted by a wonderful performance by James Cromwell as an ageing family man who is caught up in a battle with the local bureaucracy when he tries to build a new house for himself and his wife. Filmed in the New Brunswick town of St. Martin's as well as locations in Ontario, I found the characters of the man and his wife, Irene, played superbly by Genevieve Bujold, to be honest and even inspirational. Cromwell's character, Craig Morrison, was totally devoted to his wife and in building a new house for use in their advancing years, he took on a job few men of 87 would even consider. In doing so, he found his dedication to quality questioned by the local authorities who wanted lumber, for example, stamped to signify proper building codes. The fact that his own lumber surpassed the codes in many cases did not meet the letter of the law. Cromwell found himself under a great strain trying to deal with his wife's dementia and the expectations of his family, while battling the authorities. The two leading characters had great affection for one another and it was very moving to witness the attraction they felt and the love they shared. The supporting acting was generally good with family friends, Margaret and Chester, middle-aged children, Ruth and John, and the attorney, Gary, who didn't bill his client and in return, was granted a parcel of land by the generous farmer. Films about older couples seem to be trending upward in recent years; however, it is refreshing to see how elders perceive their lives and cope with a world that often treats them as an annoyance.

I found this movie on DVD from my local library. It is based on a true story of real people, and the man was included in the production of the movie.The man is James Cromwell, actually just over 70, playing slightly older Craig Morrison. He is an industrious man, he learned that from his dad. He has 2000 acres, raises some livestock, and farms. He is still very robust and enjoys doing work himself, partly because he knows it will be done right. The story is primarily about modern-day laws and regulations which in some cases just don't make sense. People in bureaucratic positions who only know "this is the law and this is how you have to do it."Craig's trials begin when his wife, Canadian Geneviève Bujold as Irene Morrison, begins to exhibit symptoms of dementia. She forgets things, or leaves without saying where she is going, or in one funny scene, uses bleach instead of detergent to wash colors and we see them hanging on the line with large white blotches. Craig understands and is a very patient man but knows that he needs to provide a more suitable home for her last years.Craig picks out a nice spot on his land, with a great view, and proceeds to build. Plans? He has them in his head. Approved lumber? He has cut his own from trees he harvested and cured. His lumber is better than what one normally buys, but it doesn't meet the "code." He has to fight the bureaucracy.I am nearing 70 myself, and we know that situations much like Craig faced may come to us sooner than later. We enjoyed the story, it is slow-moving, well-acted, and worth the time.

Octogenarian Craig Morrison (James Cromwell) sees his wife Irene (Genevieve Bujold) slipping into Dementia and decides to build a one story house to make life easier for her. He runs into building regulations that hamper his construction.This is based upon a true storyWhat a wonderful pairing of Cromwell and Bujold. When we see Cromwell on screen we feel entirely comfortable with him (that is unless he is playing a bad guy, then look out) and his scenes with Genevieve Bujold are pure gold and much of that credit goes to Ms. Bujold. She is still a hot babe in her 80s and as we watch her we could very well see ourselves taking care of her and loving every minute of it. What we get to see are two beyond-excellence performances by both. Their banter is pure gold. We feel for Craig as he suffers silently while trying his best to make Irene comfortable. He realizes she is getting worse, but that doesn't deter him. He does try to follow the law and the building regulations imposed on all. However, he knows what he is doing exceeds many of those regulations. The problem is he doesn't stop construction to allow for inspections. In time he is taken to court.We go along and hope we see Craig be successful in court. We don't get to see much of that and this was a big let-down. Since this is a true story, the court battles should have been shown, at least the most important parts. Didn't happen. Some of the earlier scenes could have been cut down or cut out so we would have time to see the court proceeding. Didn't happen. And, we waited especially for these moments. Bummer. He has a baseball signed by Babe Ruth. My problem with this scene - as he handles the ball with his bare hands - is that the ball was not protected in one of those plastic baseball covers. Most people know not to allow greasy hands to touch such a prized and valuable baseball. Someone fell down on this job. Hey, the ball could have been wrapped in Saran Wrap or something. Didn't happen.Also one would think the Babe Ruth baseball would have more or an impact on the story. Craig does use a baseball story to tell the judge about standards then and now and relates them to building construction now. That's as far as it went. Bummer. One more thing: the title sucks. Not once in the movie does Craig bellow the words "Still Mine" referring, perhaps, to the land and the new house he owns as he knows exactly what he is doing. We waited in vain to hear these words. Didn't happen. Bummer. Despite some misgivings above, this is an excellent story and we cringe along with Craig and hope Irene fares well. This is truly a wonderful love story. (9/10)Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: Yes, partial. Language: Soft stuff only: GDIs, JCs

"We're still here, we have each other and isn't everything else a bonus?" Craig (Cromwell) and his wife Irene (Bujold) are in their 80's and beginning to feel it. Craig is being hit with new regulations on his farm and is unable to adapt as fast as he needs and Irene is beginning to show signs of dementia. Rather then admit they need to enter a home Craig decides to build a new home on their land that is smaller and easier for them to manage. Once again Craig is hit with new regulations that hinder his process but some things are harder to break then laws. Going in my first thought was...an old guy building a house, sounds exciting. It didn't take long at all for me to realize how wrong I was. The movie is filled with heart and the roadblocks Craig has to go through make you want to throw something at the screen. The fact that this is a true story makes it that much more touching. Overall, much much better then I expected, if you liked Amour you will like this as well. I really enjoyed this much more then expected. I give this a B+.