The story is set at an expensive Swiss health resort and it focuses, in particular, on an aging director, Mick (Harvey Keitel),and an even older ex-composer, Fred (Michael Caine). Fred seems like a man waiting to die and even though the Queen of the United Kingdom wants him to perform for her, he makes lots of excuses. His friend Mick, however, seems very active...trying to make that one great film which will be his finale.

The film has hardly any plot apart from two old men contemplating life and their existence. In many ways, if you like one of Ingmar Bergman's more depressing films, you essentially know what "Youth" is going to be like...somber, depressing, supposedly insightful and as much fun to watch as your grandmother taking a bath. Overall, a hard film to watch, let alone enjoy. Some obviously like it based on the other reviews, but I found that even though the film was made well and well acted, it was tedious and depressing. Even an incredibly beautiful and sensual nude scene wasn't enough to spark my interest in this story.

Retired concert conductor Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) is vacationing at a peaceful Swiss spa with long-time friend Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel). He is asked to perform for the Queen but he refuses for a personal reason. Mick is a filmmaker working on his next script with his troop of young contributors. Fred's daughter and assistant Lena (Rachel Weisz) is married to Mick's son but he has left her for a pop star for the sex. The other hotel clients include actor Jimmy Tree (Paul Dano),an obese Diego Maradona, a bitter silent elderly couple, and a young girl.

The surrealism sometimes work but not all the time. I like the Nazi outfit, the soap bubble girl, but the dream of Mick's female characters don't register. The grassy hill swallows them up. They are better off lined up in a row in emptiness. As for the main roles, I'd like for Fred and Mick to spend more time together. I love the time that Fred spends with Lena. Dano is hit and miss. His best is with the little girl. I would have love to be told that it was Maradona right from the start. I'm not a soccer fan and I wouldn't know him even if he's not obese. This is definitely a movie with its own style. Director Paolo Sorrentino has an unique sense of rhythm and isn't for everybody. This is for the stylish art house fans.

"Youth" is a movie that was released very recently and was written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. He did some television and short film work since his Oscar win for "La grande bellezza", but this one here is his return to full feature films. It runs for slightly over 2 hours, slightly under without the closing credits and stars Michael Caine as the main character. With people like Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda, this film is a lot more Hollywood heavy than everything he has done before, except maybe "This Must Be the Place". The title "Youth" is certainly an ironic one as this film, just like his previous project, is a lot about aging and life during its last chapter. This should come as no surprise to anybody for Caine is in his 80s and Keitel in the second half of his 70s.

All in all, this film was pretty much what I expected. Caine was good from start to finish and I usually like him. Keitel I am usually not so big on and maybe that is also why I found his story not too interesting. As a whole, the film has some moments during which it drags and it's also on the fine line between artistry and pretense. In my opinion, they could have certainly kept it at around 100 minutes if they had gotten rid of some of the scenes I found rather dragging. Then again, maybe accidentally, they would have cut some of my favorite scenes and that would have sucked. There were certainly a couple really good moments in here, especially in terms of writing and in terms of Caine's delivery. I liked the scene when he admits that he is only good in terms of music, not in terms of giving essential advice to his daughter. Brutal truth, but there was something pretty raw and authentic to that confession.

Sorrentino always has his very unique take on female characters and how they are perceived through men's eyes. And a character like Weisz' was not there in "The Great Beauty", so it's nice to see Sorrentino trying to develop in new areas. I also liked how the concert was used as a way for Caine in order to deal with the pain of losing his wife, which was certainly still there, but also in a way of saying goodbye and not shutting out this great opportunity because of his loss. There are a couple funny moments, but these are at their best when they are subtle, not really when they are talking about the quantity of their urine in the morning. All in all, it is probably a film that will appeal more to older audiences than to younger ones, but by no means it's a must-watch for older audiences or a must-not-watch for younger ones. Especially Caine fans should check this one out as he, once again, shines in here. However, the awards attention for Jane Fonda (what are you thinking, Globes???) is a bit of a joke mildly speaking. Overall, a decent watch and I recommend it.