I don't know the last time I heard so many characters monologuing in such a short period of time. I understand that exposition and backstory aren't the easiest thing to bring across on screen, but it seems like nearly every character got a chance to tell the important and relevant parts of their life to at least one other character with very little prompting and no hesitation. "Show, don't tell" had very little place in this film.
The movie was longer than it needed to be, certainly, and rather on the predictable side. Of course one of the characters was going to die--even the suddenly-all-knowing narration called it inevitable. Of course that couple was going to get together. Of course they all (or most) were going to decide to stay in the still open and triumphant hotel.
I found the acting mostly charming and the characters mostly likeable, save for one completely thankless role. The scenery was pretty, the imagery was obvious, the writing was somewhat lifeless. Really, it's thanks to the actors that the film had what likeable moments it did have. It meandered nearly as much as this blog post.
I can see this film appealing to a certain audience; there are not many films made directly for the retirement set and that's too bad, really. What else is too bad is that this movie brought together such a fantastic cast and a cute name and premise and wound up being only mediocre.
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