Film Review By Jessica Reaves, Chicago Tribune Staff Writer

Anyone who's ever faced a birthday with a sense of impending doom, or stared bleakly in the mirror at a causeway of emerging wrinkles, knows we could all stand to be reminded that there are benefits to growing old, even beyond the obvious (it's a whole lot better than the alternative). Thankfully, just such a reminder has arrived in the form of "Young @ Heart," an exuberant, affectionate documentary by first-time filmmakers Stephen Walker and Sally George.

"Young @ Heart" follows the eponymous chorus (average age: 80) as they prepare a new repertoire of songs for a springtime tour, putting their signature spin on the classics. Classics like The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go," "Life During Wartime" by Talking Heads and, naturally, that old chestnut, "Schizophrenia" by Sonic Youth. You can't truly appreciate the absurdity of certain lyrics (Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can," for example) until you've heard them read painstakingly aloud by an octogenarian with a magnifying glass.

Led by chorus director Bob Cilman - a wry, passionate candidate for Ultimate Mensch of the Universe - the troupe is populated by a range of characters, many who seem straight from central casting. Irene, a 92-year-old coquette, carpools to practice with sweet Joe, who's survived multiple rounds of chemotherapy and memorizes lyrics after just one reading, and the irascible Lenny, a World War II pilot, drives like a 16-year-old but can't quite remember the words to "Purple Haze."

While their vigor and enthusiasm makes it easy to temporarily forget, or at least ignore, the realities of the chorus' collective age, there are inevitable harsh reminders. Two members died during the filming process, and another came awfully close (but survived to deliver a truly astonishing rendition of Coldplay's "Fix You"). Director Stephen Walker does a remarkable job of respecting his subjects' grief even as their experiences inform and enhance the film's emotional canvas. Movie death, even in documentaries, can feel like a cheap shot. Here, the emotion, like everything else about the project, feels genuine.

After persuading the initially reluctant chorus to let a film crew trail them for months on end, Walker and George shot "Young @ Heart" with a nonexistent budget, and it shows: Production values are shaky at best, punctuated by awkward camera angles and amateurish lighting. Given the profoundly joyous end result, dwelling on such technicalities feels petty, if not downright mean-spirited.

There may be people who won't fall in love with this movie, people who aren't captivated by its motley cast of characters. I just hope I never meet any of them.

MPAA rating: PG (for some mild language and thematic elements).

Running time: 1:47.

Featuring: Bob Cilman, Irene, Joe and Lenny.

Directed by Stephen Walker; photographed by Ed Maritz; edited by Chris King; produced by Sally George. A Fox Searchlight release.

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