Review: Youth in Oregon

The great Frank Langella is reason enough to see any film, but Youth in Oregon is an overly cliched and plodding showcase for the talents of Langella and his fellow actors. Director Joel David Moore appears to realise this as he's stuffed the film full of visual tricks in a vain attempt to mask the inertia that pervades Youth in Oregon.

Langella plays 80-year-old Raymond Engersol, two years removed from cardiac surgery that resulted in him and wife Estelle (Mary Kay Place) moving in with his caring daughter Kate (Christina Applegate), frustrated son-in-law Brian (Billy Crudup), and generically teen granddaughter Annie (Nicola Peltz). When his doctor tells him he needs another surgery for his heart condition, Raymond decides to keep this from his family and instead announce, during his birthday dinner, that he intends on being driven from New York to Oregon so that he can end his life in a state where euthanasia is legal.

Naturally his announcement sends shockwaves through the family, all of whom veer between reluctant support and disbelief. Kate enlists Brian to be the designated driver after Annie is caught in the midst of a high school sexting scandal, firmly believing that Brian and her mother can find a way to change Raymond's mind before they reach their final destination.

Along the way, screenwriter Andrew Eisen throws in several contrivances to further muddle the narrative: Brian and Estelle get high on prescription drugs, there's a random visit to an aviary, and equally random drop-ins on Raymond and Estelle's estranged son Paul (Josh Lucas) and Brian and Kate's son Nick (Alex Shaffer) with both visits yielding little, if any, dramatic potential or narrative momentum.

Suffocated by its own superficiality and one-dimensionality, Youth in Oregon never really gains traction. It's a shame, since the topic of dying on one's own terms and its inherent moral and interpersonal quandaries is rich with possibilities. Unfortunately, the filmmakers decide to play it cute instead of affording it the dignity and respect it deserves.

Youth in Oregon

Directed by: Joel David Moore

Written by: Andrew Eisen

Starring: Frank Langella, Billy Crudup, Josh Lucas, Nicola Peltz, Christina Applegate, Mary Kay Place