One of my all time favorites.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

(Originally reviewed: Late December 2016) Forever Young is well acted, well directed and suitable entertainment for people of all ages despite a few holes in the first half of the picture. I will go into detail on that in a minute, but first let's discuss the positives; Gibson is as terrific as usual and is also given a solid supporting cast that includes a young Elijah Wood who has a lot of energy and Jamie Lee Curtis who has some real good scenes with Gibson. I also admired the production design, the romance between Gibson and Isabel Glasser and a lot of the sweet comedic moments including when Gibson suggest to the young Elijah Wood that he should try singing to the girl he likes, so he climbs a tree and gets her attention, this is well executed and overall the comedic tone of the picture is there for all ages.Though I praised the humor, there are a few things I didn't like in the first 20 minutes of the picture, such as a young toddler staring at Gibson which was meant to somehow be funny but comes off as creepy, as well as Wood's Friend's older brother saying he is going to put a poisonous snake in his brothers bed while he sleeps. This I find unnecessary and not in the least bit amusing. A few other problems I had with the picture were there was no mention of what city they were in and I highly doubt the cryogenics tube would be right under the military's noses for 53 years with no one discovering it, however despite these errors I enjoyed the picture and would easily recommend it.

The 1990's were a booming decade for Mel Gibson. Fresh off of three Lethal Weapon movies, he was already establishing himself as a bankable American movie star. As the decade went on he would find a balance between commercial and personal projects. "Forever Young" seems to have a mix of both commercial and personal sides, and despite a few flaws in its screenplay it still entertains and holds your attention.The basic plot line has Gibson as a military test pilot in 1939 who wants to propose to the love of his life played by Isabel Glasser, but he chickens out, and as he does so, she goes comatose and nearly dies from being hit by a car. Gibson then asks his scientist friend (George Wendt), who has invented a cryogenic freezing system to freeze him for a year so he won't see Glasser die and if she is well to wake him up. He goes to sleep for over 50 years and wakes up in 1992 after a boy (Elijah Wood) and his friend find him in a nearly demolished military warehouse and revive him. After saving Wood's mother played by Jamie Lee Curtis from nearly being abused, he briefly moves in and begins a minor relationship with her until the climax, which I won't give away.So yeah it definitely has the ingredients and clichés of a made-for- TV movie. Gene Siskel said one reason he didn't like the film was he didn't believe the relationship between Gibson and Glasser and felt the movie failed to really explore the depths of it. I do agree with him on that minor note. A little more time exploring the relationship would have been nice to see. More scenes with Wendt's character would have been nice too, sadly he has very little to do, and his part really should have been more of an un-credited cameo. Of course "Cheers" was in its final season when this movie came out, so I'm sure the director felt "if people know Norm Peterson is in this movie along with Mel Gibson, I'm sure people will come!" Aside from those flaws, the relationship between Gibson and Wood is special. Wood is like the son Gibson wished he would have had, and I like that approach. I also like the scenes with he and Curtis and they definitely have some spark. The flying sequences and scenery are also very well done. Bottom line: A few clichés, and a little overly-sentimental like a Hallmark movie, but still enjoyable and fun to watch. Rating: *** out of ****. Rated PG for some language, brief nudity (Gibson's backside after he is revived from being frozen), and a brief sequence of domestic violence, along with some fist fighting. (Thankfully Gibson saves the day, before anything gets too bad). Suitable for children 11 and older.

In 1939, military pilot Daniel McCormick's fiancée is comatose following being hit by a truck, so he volunteers to be experimentally cryogenically frozen. Overlooked in error, he is accidentally woken in 1992 at which point, with the help of a nurse and her son, he tries to make some sense of what has happened to him.Forget the science fiction element - the cryogenesis is unconvincing, and the "catch-up" ageing afterwards is, as far as I'm aware, completely without any sort of scientific or logical foundation.What you are left with is a romantic fable, cross-matched with some fish out of water humour, a dab of suspense, and some pleasing relationships between the characters.Curiously, the heart of the movie is not Mel Gibson (who is perfectly satisfactory as Daniel) nor Jamie Lee Curtis (whose samaritan nurse Claire is almost an incidental character), but 10-year old Elijah Wood who, even at that age, holds centre stage effortlessly for much of the film.Don't expect it to make any sense, and you may well enjoy it.

First things first, I do not think this is Mel Gibson's best film, but it isn't his worst either. This is a minor film with a simplistic plot but charming performances. The pace is rather pedestrian, and Steve Miner's direction is a little too uptight. But Mel Gibson despite playing a tired sort of character, does well at acting bemused, and Jamie Lee Curtis provides charming support. Elijah Wood is also convincing as Nat, and the two lead's reunion is very touching and poignant and it avoids trying to be funny. Nice music and sumptuous filming also help.Overall, a minor entry in the Mel Gibson canon, but a nice, simple and touching film. 8/10 Bethany Cox