2003 Directed by Arvin Brown
This powerfully bittersweet comedy follows the relationship that develops between nursing home residents Fonsia (Mary Tyler Moore) and Weller (Dick Van Dyke) during a series of gin games in which their ailments, misfortunes and losses are exposed in funny, honest and increasingly heated moments.
Oh, I loved this. It's just Dick van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore playing Gin for 90 minutes, but its full of wit and warmth, and genuinely gripping for much of the runtime. Although there's an obvious cosy charm here, it's also a lot spikier and more melancholic than you might expect; we traverse a lot of emotional territory in each of these four scenes, and often end up in surprising places.
It's not perfect - Van Dyke's sudden swerves into fury aren't always convincing, and the ending doesn't land with enough force - but the pleasures of watching these old friends just be together far outweighs any minor complaints. And Dick Van Dyke dealing cards ("One, one, two, two, three...") is truly one of life's great joys.
