Verdict
Summary
A cute dramedy with a very game and competent cast that delivers, iMordecai won me over with a believable plot and characterizations (it’s based on a true story), and a really engaging performance by Hirsch.
Plot:
A retired plumber’s life changes when he gets a smart phone.
Review:
You’d think 80-year old Mordecai (Judd Hirsch) would just coast along in his retirement, but no: He is busier than ever, starting projects he doesn’t quite have the strength or resolve to complete, and with his wife Fela (Carol Kane) acting strange with early stages of dementia you’d assume he would want to be by her side all the time. Their middle-aged son Marvin (Sean Astin) is struggling to pay the bills at home with his own family, and he’s recently convinced his dad to invest in his fledgling start up cigar company which could potentially pay big or lose big, and as a gesture of goodwill Marvin takes Mordecai down to the mall to upgrade his ancient flip phone for a smart phone. In order to navigate the follies of the huge learning curve such a device requires, Mordecai hires a tutor named Nina (Azia Dinea Hale) to teach him how to use it. Over the course of a few weeks, the two of them form an unlikely bond: Mordecai and his wife are holocaust survivors, while Nina’s grandfather was a Nazi who ran the death camp where Mordecai’s family was killed during the war. In the meantime, Mordecai flourishes with his new device and becomes a real social butterfly, making new friends and going out all the time, but in the process he forgets about his dear wife whose burgeoning dementia nearly costs her her life in an accident that easily could’ve been avoided if Mordecai had been by her side instead of running around town.
A cute dramedy with a very game and competent cast that delivers, iMordecai won me over with a believable plot and characterizations (it’s based on a true story), and a really engaging performance by Hirsch. This is a human-interest story that works, and while it might appeal much more to boomers than youngsters, it should go well with the grandparents and parents who appreciate slow going stories that go for cute rather than cool. From director Marvin Samel, who is played by Astin in the movie.
Kino Lorber recently released iMordecai on DVD. It’s affordably priced to own.
