So, you’ve reached retirement age and you’ve finally left behind those days when everything revolved around your 9 to 5 job. Now you’re free to do whatever you want – or whatever your budget allows you to do – and live life according to your own rules. That sounds pretty exciting, right? You have more than enough reasons to view retirement not as an end, but as a new beginning and make the most of your life after work.
But now that you’ve bid your job farewell and moved on to the next chapter of your life, what are you going to do with all the free time you have on your hands? The internet is flooded with articles about retirement and all the fun things you can do to keep yourself busy and entertained after you retire. Some suggest taking trips around the world, others recommend looking for a peaceful and sunny retirement community where you can settle down and make new friends and so on.
However, our recommendations have less to do with trips and retirement locations and more with nice and cozy evenings spent in front of the TV. We’ve created a list of seven heartwarming movies about retirement that will definitely hit home for most seniors. But in all honesty, these are movies that all your geeks out there will enjoy, so let’s hit play.
The Bucket List
We find it quite appropriate to start our list with The Bucket List, and we’ll tell you why. This movie depicts the life of two terminally ill patients left with only six months to live played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. One’s a billionaire and one is a car mechanic, but their common woe brings them together in a hospital and they start a journey of exploration in order to fulfill all the things they haven’t done in their life before they kick the bucket. And that’s how their bucket lists take them from one adventure to another, with love, hope, and loss mingled in the story.
Something’s Gotta Give
Jack Nicholson graces our list one gain, this time as Harry Sanborn, a 60-something rich music mogul from New York with a habit of dating much younger women in this romantic comedy starring big Hollywood names like Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, and Frances McDormand. You’ll get to see a whole different approach to retirement and all the challenges that come with it. It’s a much more light-hearted movie that tells us about adapting to life changes and finding love in later life, even if the lovers seem to be from two completely different planets.
Up
Who said animations are just for kids? If you feel like you’re too old to watch animated comedies, Up will prove you wrong. The film introduces us to Carl, voiced by Ed Asner, an old and grumpy widower that isolates himself from the outside world and his only desire is to complete a promise made to his late wife, Ellie. Throw a little boy named Russel, a shaggy dog, and a flying house in the mix, and you’ve cooked up a spectacular adventure. Yes, this movie will make you feel like you’ve just cut onions, so have some tissues on hand, but it will also make you feel like you can be young at any age.
Going in Style
Now let’s get back to the real world for our next movie and meet a bunch of senior citizens who are up to no good. Willie (Morgan Freeman), Joe (Micael Caine), and Albert (Alan Akin) are three lifelong friends and respectable retirees who are dealt a bad hand when the company they worked for is bought out and their pensions get canceled. So, we’re going to see three elderly citizens struggling to make ends meet after a life of hard work and sacrifices. But don’t expect a movie that will teach you how to access your home equity or create an extra stream of income during your retirement. You’ve got resources such as Bloom Finance to take care of that. Our heroes are going to opt for a slightly less conventional method to get their financial situation back on track post-retirement – robbing a bank – so get ready for some serious action.
Gran Torino
No one can play a grumpy old man like Clint Eastwood does in Gran Torino. This American drama film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood himself tells the story of Walt Kowalski, a widow and Korean War veteran who has no desire to connect or interact with anyone from his family or the world around him. But Walt’s self-isolation is disrupted when his young neighbor, Thao Vang Lor, tries to steal Walt’s prized 1972 Ford Gran Torino. Surprisingly enough, Walt strikes up an unusual friendship with the boy and his family, and teaches us a few important lessons along the way.
Calendar Girls
Ladies, this one is for you. What happens when a group of retired women decides to pose nude for a calendar to raise funds for a local hospital? A lot of hilarious dialogues, raised eyebrows and a series of unexpected situations ensue. We have Helen Mirren and Julie Walters leading the cats of ladies who are brave enough to think outside the box and challenge the public’s perceptions for the sake of a good cause. You’ll laugh, cry and feel deeply inspired after watching this movie.
Red
This is definitely not your average retirement story, so you might not identify with any of the characters, but it’s going to feel like a wild ride. With Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban in leading roles, you know you’re in for a treat. When Frank Moses, a former spy, is forced to come out of retirement, he reunites with his trusted team members and goes on a hunt to catch the man who’s threatening his peace and quiet, and the rest is pure adventure.
Now go grab some popcorn and start checking movies off the list!
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Amanda Lancaster is a PR manager who works with 1resumewritingservice. She is also known as a content creator. Amanda has been providing resume writing services since 2014.
