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Movies / On DVD / Elsa & Fred
Elsa & Fred

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Elsa & Fred (2008)

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Reviews Counted:27

Fresh:15

Rotten:12

Average Rating:5.4/10

Consensus: Boosted by charming performances by the octogenarian leads, Elsa and Fred overcomes its schmaltzy premise to make for a satisfying romantic tale.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some mild thematic elements and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Jun 27, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: Elsa & Fred is a romantic comedy about the irresistible power and total madness of love when two people who, at the end of the road, discover that it’s never too late to love… or to dream. Elsa... Elsa & Fred is a romantic comedy about the irresistible power and total madness of love when two people who, at the end of the road, discover that it’s never too late to love… or to dream.

Elsa has dreamt for the past 60 years of the moment that Fellini had already envisaged: the scene in La Dolce Vita. at the Fontana di Trevi. Her dream however is not of Anita Ekberg, but Elsa instead rising out of the fountain in all her glory, and without Marcello Mastroiani, but with her true love that took so long to arrive.

Alfredo is a bit younger than Elsa, a reserved meticulous man who becomes the object of Elsa’s desire. After losing his wife, he feels lonely and confused and his daughter decides that it would be best if he moved into a smaller apartment where he meets Elsa. From that moment on, everything changes. Elsa bursts into his life like a whirlwind, determined to teach him that the time he has left to live—be it more or less—is precious and that he should enjoy every minute of it. Fred surrenders to Elsa’s frenzy, to her youth, to her boldness, to her beautiful madness. And this is how Alfredo (or Fred, as Elsa calls him), learns how to live.--© Mitropoulos Pictures
[More]

Starring: Manuel Alexandre, China Zorrilla, Blanca Portillo, Roberto Carnaghi

Starring: Manuel Alexandre, China Zorrilla, Blanca Portillo, Roberto Carnaghi, Federico Luppi

Director: Marcos Carnevale

Director: Marcos Carnevale
Screenwriter: Marcos Carnevale,
Producer: José Antonio Félez
Composer:
Studio: Mitropoulos Films

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Release:

Jul 29, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - Spanish
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Elsa & Fred

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21 - 28 (sorted by date)
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Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Yes, it’s formulaic and shamelessly manipulative. But Zorrilla and Alexandre have chemistry to burn; only a hard heart could resist their bittersweet romance.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
06/26/08
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
Time Out New York

The transformation of a fear-based man by a Zorba-the-Greek-like woman with a zest for life, enthusiasm, and creative daring.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
06/26/08
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

It's hard in good conscience to recommend a sappy flick with a heroine this shallow, her spunkiness in the face of a dire prognosis notwithstanding.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
06/25/08
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
NewsBlaze

The problem isn't the acting; both actors are superb. It's Elsa's character that is so difficult to take. Only the hopelessly romantic will be able to tolerate her.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
06/25/08
Jean Opppenheimer
Jean Opppenheimer
Village Voice

Sweet November for the nursing-home set, Elsa and Fred is sentimental mush cooked up with extra syrup.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
06/22/08
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine

Loads of erotic chemistry between these two Madrid geriatric lovebirds without the least benefit of raging hormones, a septuagenarian object of desire longing for a male with interesting vices, and screen dreams sexing it up, La Dolce Vita style.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
06/22/08
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

Brilliantly acted by two septugenarians who wallow in shameless sentimentality, it's exuberant and thoroughly entrancing.

Full Review Source: SSG Syndicate | comment Comment
06/16/08
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
SSG Syndicate

A tardy romance between two aging lovebirds, Elsa & Fred is predictable fare that only occasionally fulfils its intention of being simultaneously heartbreaking and heartening.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/05/08
Jonathan Holland
Jonathan Holland
Variety
 
 
21 - 28 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Elsa & Fred

January 23, 2009: Loads of erotic chemistry between these two Madrid geriatric lovebirds without the least benefit of raging hormones, a septuagenarian object of desire longing for a male with interesting vices, and screen dreams sexing it up, La Dolce Vita style. Opens in new window
More...

January 19, 2009: Loads of erotic chemistry between these two Madrid geriatric lovebirds without the least benefit of raging hormones, a septuagenarian object of desire longing for a male with interesting vices, and screen dreams sexing it up, La Dolce Vita style. Opens in new window
More...

January 19, 2009: ActorsandCrew.com: Loads of erotic chemistry between these two Madrid geriatric lovebirds without the least benefit of raging hormones, and a septuagenarian object of desire longing for a male with interesting vices. Opens in new window
More...

June 30, 2008: Critics Consensus: WALL-E Is the Best-Reviewed Film of 2008
This week at the movies, we've got lonely robots (Pixar's WALL-E, directed by Andrew Stanton) and kinetic killers (Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, and Morgan... More...

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