Amos (1985)

While there are tons of movies about old folks in senior homes to choose from, if you want one with a bit of a spooky flavor to it, rent Amos. Kirk Douglas, Ray Walston, Pat Morita, and Dorothy Maguire are in a senior home, but the head nurse, Elizabeth Montgomery, isn't nearly as sweet as she appears to outsiders. . .A lot of these types of movies are "old folks still got it" movies, but Amos differs from the usual themes. Kirk Douglas and his "inmates" are abused and, for the most part, are trapped from rebelling against the head nurse, rather like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. If you feel like I do about Kirk Douglas, you might want to look away when he gets ruffed up by Elizabeth Montgomery's goons. Then again, even if you don't remember him from his hunky days, who likes to watch older folks get beat up?Amos isn't the best senior-cast film I've seen, and in general, I watch a lot of them. It's meant to be exciting-and at times it is-but all in all, it's mostly sad. You're better off renting films with younger versions of the stars, unless you go in for depressing old-people movies, like Wrestling Ernest Hemingway.

Kirk Douglas is Amos Lasher, a man who's married and retired and enjoying home life. That is, until he has a car accident, which kills his wife, left him with a broken hip and with little to no money to pay for an operation, recovery, etc. He lost his house and has to go to a rest home for recovery. Little does he know, t.l.c. is the last thing on the mind of Head Nurse Daisy Dawes, played by Elizabeth Montgomery, who plays her role to the hilt. And, Ms. Montgomery gets a very fulfilling send-off for the viewer to enjoy. Fans of Ms. Montgomery, myself included, will love her performance and wish more of her TV movies and work can be found on DVD. I had to find this on VHS. On a entertainment level, this is a very good movie with great actors who know their business, including Ray Walston and Dorothy McGuire. But, the movie takes its entertainment from an otherwise very sobering subject matter, which may be too disturbing and real for some people watching, especially when the viewer might have a parent in a rest home, subjected to such treatment. If you can watch a movie about a rest home, then this is one to see, which is similar to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which was produced by Michael Douglas, the son of Kirk Douglas, the star of this. Kirk's Amos Lasher is a survivor and a fighter and will not go quietly....

OK, so "Amos" is in many ways the same sort of idea as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", but it's still worth seeing. Kirk Douglas plays elderly Amos Lasher, who loses his wife in a car wreck. He gets sent to a retirement home run by nurse Daisy Daws (Elizabeth Montgomery). But as it becomes clear that Daisy is not a nice gal, Amos becomes more desperate about what to do.Probably the movie's most interesting aspect is the casting of Elizabeth Montgomery. When she first appears, she's putting on her nurse outfit (she actually looks mighty fine wearing those stockings). When she first greets Kirk Douglas, here we basically see a slightly older version of Samantha Stephens, but with just a hint of malice in her eyes. As the movie progresses, you might say that Samantha becomes more and more like Endora...an evil Endora, that is.So, this isn't any kind of masterpiece; "OFOTCN" did a better job with this topic. But it's good to see that these folks still had it no matter their age, and to see the big screen's most famous gladiator meet the small screen's most famous witch (and she's a REAL witch here). Also starring Dorothy McGuire (of "Gentleman's Agreement"), Pat Morita (of the "Karate Kid" movies) and Ray Walston (Mr. Hand in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High").

This TV movie has excellent acting and a sad commentary on senior care facilities. Kirk Douglas plays a retired baseball player who, after a car accident (that kills his wife) is sent to a old folks home by his kids. Once there he suffers just about every indignity you can imagine. Elizabeth Montgomery plays head nurse who would rather kill off the patients than spend the money required to keep them alive. Ms. Montgomery is brilliant in this role. I don't want to give away any plot twists but there are a few. The best scenes in this movie are between stubborn "Amos Lasher" (Kirk) and "Daisy Daws" (Liz) who butt heads more than once. Dorothy McGuire gives a touching performance as a lonely woman who falls for Amos. Not only good drama but a movie with a social message as well regarding the treatment of our senior citizens.