Yesterday was Billie’s birthday. Her 50th birthday. She wanted to see a movie. We searched the various local movie listings, and Billie found a trailer for Young @ Heart, which was playing at the Little Theater.

So that’s what we went to see.

Here’s a recommendation for you: See it.

See it especially if you want a little inspiration. See it if you want to understand the human spirit and the strength of optimism. See it because it’s just outstanding documentary film making. See it because you’ll meet a cast of people you will want to meet and know in real life.

Young @ Heart is a chorus of older people — average age 80, according to the movie — who love life, love to sing and specialize in singing rock and roll, even punk rock.

The movie documents a seven week period in which the chorus prepares for a new tour. It shows their struggles to learn new songs, reveals bits of background of select members, and takes you some of the sorrow that goes with a group of elderly people bonding (friends die, you know).

YouTube is full of Young @ Heart videos. I could show you I Want to Be Sedated, or Fix You (one of the emotional peaks of the movie), Golden Years, Road to Nowhere, or this cool home movie of David Byrne singing with Young @ Heart. But I’m going to show you “Staying Alive,” because it captures the fun spirit of this group and features my favorite singer from the chorus (and after writing that, I actually watched the version on YouTube — it’s longer than the movie, as it contains a great, and I mean great, take on “I Will Survive.”

You can buy the movie poster: YOUNG AT HEART DS ADVANCE POSTER