Respond to these rapid questions in our Just Getting Started quiz and we will tell you which Just Getting Started character you are. Play it now.
If the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) ever felt compelled to sue a movie for elder abuse, “Just Getting Started” would undoubtedly be on the shortlist. It raised all kinds of red flags for me when I learned that a comedy starring Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman (and directed and written by Ron Shelton of “Tin Cup” and “Bull Durham”) would be released without any advance screenings for critics before it was released.
When it came to this boomer-bait romp, I tried to keep an open mind about Duke Diver (Freeman), the manager of Villa Capri, a luxury Palm Springs resort that is packed with retirees. Although he has fashioned himself into a sort of Hugh Hefner of senior living, he has chosen to keep his past a mystery. However, as soon as the Christmas carols began to ding-dong in the background during the opening credits, alarms went off in my head. This can’t possibly be a holiday film, can it? Yes, it is possible.
The holiday setting allows for a variety of sight gags, including carolers dressed in Dickensian garb except for their flip flops and someone remarking, “Some big balls he’s got,” while dangling two large round tree ornaments from his neck. There is also the possibility that the term “flocking” will be used as a euphemism for you-know-what in this context. Shelton appears to believe that the mere thought of spending Christmas in the scorching heat of the California desert (actually, Albuquerque, N.M., which is mostly filling in for tax-break reasons) is cause for merrymaking at this time of year. While the drug Lipitor is mentioned, the V-word (Viagra) is not mentioned at all. Because I’m still recovering from Robert De Niro’s encounter with an erectile dysfunction drug in the film “Little Fockers,” consider this a blessing in disguise.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Just Getting Started quiz.
A dedicated alpha male and his cronies (including Joe Pantoliano and comic George Wallace) run the show while Duke chases after young ladies of a certain age, including Elizabeth Ashley, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Glenne Headly, who passed away in June at the age of 62, among others. Unfortunately, her final film role involves her standing on a ladder while Morgan Freeman lasciviously admires her slender figure—which would have been creepy even before the media began compiling a list of powerful men who have been accused of sexual harassment in the wake of the Weinstein scandal.
Just Getting Started Quiz
When cowboy Leo, in the form of Jones, sashays into town and challenges Duke to a game of golf, chess, ping pong, bench pressing, and doing the limbo, things start to look up for Duke for a brief moment. Suzie, played by Rene Russo, makes Leo’s heart skip a beat, and soon after that, Duke is competing for her affections as well. It turns out that all three members of this group are concealing something. The film itself is awkwardly evolving from being a horny oldsters on the loose caper to a macho one-upmanship competition and, finally, to a crime film about foiling a mob hit, which is plagued by dreary car chases, a literal stakeout that is a snooze-fest, a rather tame cobra trapped in a golf bag, and perhaps one of the least-exciting bomb explosions ever captured on film
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Just Getting Started quiz.
Johnny Mathis does make an appearance at the Villa Capri’s Christmas Eve party, though he mostly lip syncs and appears to be well past his prime at the age of 82. Moreover, while no one will ever mistake Freeman and Jones for Martin and Lewis, it is not unpleasant to see these two Academy Award winners working together on a film for the first time. Aside from the fact that Shelton took 14 years to direct again, “Just Getting Started” comes across as a sloppily put together snoozefest by the director. The most disheartening aspects of his work are his portrayals of women, who are primarily defined by the gaze and affirmation of their male partners. The creators of such strong and richly drawn female characters as Susan Sarandon’s baseball muse Annie Savoy in “Bull Durham” and Rosie Perez’s “Jeopardy” whiz Gloria Clemente in “White Men Can’t Jump” should be aware of their own shortcomings.
About the quiz
My most basic litmus test for whether or not a comedy is successful is whether or not it causes me to laugh throughout. It’s possible that I groaned, but there were no chuckles emanating from me or from my one and only fellow patron, an older gentleman with a gray beard and baseball cap who was sitting a few seats down from me at an early Friday morning showing. Even though he did crack a smile now and then, it could have been due to the crinkly-bag snacks he was munching on at the time. The problem is that “Just Getting Started” never really gets off to a good start. It only served to reinforce my belief that “this will never, ever be over?”Also, you must try to play this Just Getting Started quiz.
For more personality quizzes check this: Same Kind Of Different As Me Quiz.
