What I’m watching: an intriguing documentary and a series that makes me hungryDate: 7/2/2021 On Hulu: “Some Kind of Heaven”
I don’t know about you but retirement has been on my mind a lot lately and this documentary, just released on Hulu certainly gave me something to think about.
“Some Kind of Heaven” is about the nation’s largest retirement community, The Villages, in Florida. The population of the self-contained community is 130,000 people. It has its own medical center, shops, security force, cable TV station and 300 different clubs.
As one resident remarked in the film, “This isn’t a place you go to die. This is a place you go to live.”
Director Lance Oppenheim follows several residents: a man, Reggie, who is undergoing significant attitude and lifestyle changes, which concerns his wife Ann; Barbara, a woman who moved to the Villages with her husband but is now widowed; and Dennis, a non-resident and 81-year-old man living in his van who is intent on finding a woman with money with whom he can live.
Although many of the residents see The Villages as having a Disney theme park perfection and innocence, the truth is everyone’s experience is not the same.
Barbara has to work full-time and is trying to cope with her status as a widow. She is a very reluctant convert to the lifestyle that The Villages offers.
Reggie uses illegal drugs and is undergoing what he sees is a positive transformation, but Ann is increasingly worried about him. Her concerns reach a crisis when Reggie is arrested for the possession of illegal narcotics.
Dennis initially comes across as sort of a buffoon, an aging Lothario. Describing himself as “the handyman to the stars,” he hangs out at the Villages trying to meet a woman who would support him. In reality, he has fled from California where he was charged with operating under the influence and he is essentially broke.
Each story sheds a little light on the experience of living in a community that is supposedly perfect.
Along the way there are additional interviews about life in The Villages.
I found this film fascinating as in many scenes in shows older people essentially acting the same way as they did in junior high school. If allowed by the environment, is that a natural evolution?
Oppenheim doesn’t offer that kind of commentary but what he shows us is The Villages may not be for everyone.
On Netflix: “Fresh, Fried and Crispy”
Several years ago at the Big E I spotted Daym Drops with a camera operator shooting him eating some wild fair food. I spoke to him briefly and congratulated him on his YouTube success.
Drops came to prominence with reviews of fast food he shot in his car and then posted to YouTube. That resulted in millions of views and ultimately, to this new series on Netflix.
Drops is not a chef. He is someone who likes to eat and knows what he likes. He is funny and engaging and brings an “everyman” approach to food.
In the series, he travels to a number of cities looking for the best fried food he can find. Some of the results are novelty food, but the majority are clever takes on established recipes.
He travels to independently owned eateries and food trucks and most of what he finds and eats, I’d certainly try. I draw the line at deep-fried salt-water taffy.
The show is fun and engaging and is part travelogue and part food show and is perfect summer viewing.
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