SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Absolutely brilliant

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

I'm always looking for films I can enjoy with my husband. He likes a quiet film with little conflict. While 5 Flights Up offers conflict, it isn't the usual kind I enjoy. (Full disclosure, I love a good action or science fiction flick!)Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman play an interracial couple who married when "it was illegal in 30 states and looked down on in the other 20". It really wasn't that long ago, the 70's. We see flashbacks to their meeting, her discussion with her mother over their marriage, and other glimpses in to their past. I love these little glimpses, as I was a few years younger than the portrayal in the 70s and had many of these same questions. The film makes you consider race relations - not just the relationship between Freeman and Keaton, but also the relationship between New York and the alleged terrorist. 'Fake News' is instilled in this film before it was a buzzword. The terrorist is incorporated to show how quickly and completely we jump to conclusions about people based on their ethnicity or religion. Was he really a terrorist? We don't really know, but the news made him in to one very quickly, with no evidence other than his religion and he left a truck on a bridge. Hmmmm....Dorothy, their cute dog with a medical problem, is included to show the love that the couple would have showered on a child if they would have had one. The dog's medical issues also serve to show Freeman's devotion to his wife. He tells the vet "do whatever it takes. Don't worry about what I signed" when they learn Dorothy needs surgery and he sees Keaton's devastation. Before they go to visit her at the vets, we see Keaton and Freeman discussing her: "She must be scared, confused, alone, in a strange place not knowing what's going on." Is that Dorothy she's talking about? Or herself?We see the way life has changed, yet remains the same. Like many artists, Freeman's character is told his painting style is outdated and to be profitable, he needs to change his painting style to match the current art climate. Keaton suggests in her passionate way that perhaps he could go to a potential clients home and see where they want to hang the painting. Perhaps get paint chips to be sure it matches. Watching the film and pausing several times, I loved the paintings, bright colorful portraits that highlight a moment in a person's life. There are several side characters of interest in this movie. Keaton's niece, Lily, is their real estate agent. She seems overzealous and I believe she talked her aunt and uncle in to selling their apartment for HER future, not in the best interest of her aunt and uncle. Their interaction is often happening with Lily on the phone talking to others, excited about the offers they are getting on the apartment. Zoe is another interesting character. A young girl whose mother drags her to open houses of apartments she longs to own, but cannot afford, Zoe and Freeman meet at several open houses and have interesting, if brief, conversations. She admires his paintings, wonders at a turntable, and tells him his dog will be all right because 'I know these things'. Is this a big flashy movie? No, but it is full of the truths of aging ... that those who are of a certain age don't feel like they are, they still feel like they did in the 20's and 30's, but older, wiser, perhaps a bit slower. That their children/nieces/nephews feel that they know what is best for them. That their grandchildren will be the ones who love and accept them unconditionally.Perhaps my favorite scene is one of the last ones. Freeman witnesses a young couple moving in to an apartment downstairs and, although we don't see anything but the legs, we hear them reenacting the same carry-over-the-threshold we witnessed earlier in a flashback. He smiles as he walks to his apartment, perhaps thinking that the more things change the more they stay the same.

This film is about two old fuddy-duddies driving each other marriage crazy after all these years. No bombs, no murders, no guts, no hot disgusting senior sex or fumbling trysts, just good ol' times at the end of their lives while still hitting on contemporary racial, social and political issues.To all you youngsters or wannabes who hated this movie because of no porno, no graphic violence or sensational blood lusting, then just go enlist in the army and get what you rally want first hand. Good luck.Also a great subplot with their only child, Dorothy, their dog. These two oldsters still got what it takes after all these years. Congrats to you both.

This film tells a story of growing old, property marketing, terrorism and social change (or lack thereof). Quite a mixture of different themes, but to me the one that stands out the most is love. Ruth (Keaton) and Alex (Freeman) Carver find themselves selling their Brooklyn apartment of almost 40 years. Why? Well, the 5 flights of stairs they have to climb to reach it. Ruth wants to find somewhere with an elevator where they can grow old without having to worry, whereas Alex feels more sentimental about their long-time home and is skeptical about selling. This sets up their characters for the film, Ruth being more practical and forward thinking, while Alex thinks of the past and is carried more by his emotions.Within the next few days, Ruth and Alex find themselves in the middle of New York City where terrorism alarms are going off thanks to a young man believed to have a bomb. Meanwhile their beloved dog, Dorothy, is in veterinarian care after a turn for the worse and at the same time they are also on the cusp of selling their apartment and buying a new one within the hour.Throughout the film, they are plagued by the people around them who feel they are 'past it'. The young people push past Alex as though he weren't there, the couple they want to buy a new apartment from feel they don't know what they are doing and ultimately Lily (Nixon) their Realtor and also their niece tells them that they are 'old' and 'crazy', even though the reasons for their behavior seem completely realistic. It goes to show the process of getting older and how people are quick to dismiss what they are afraid of themselves, but the attitudes of Ruth and Alex - that being somewhat rebellious, even from when they got married, when it was illegal in 30 states - is what shines the most. They make a point of not living their lives based on what people expect of them and that's what makes them so appealing. The film itself, I thought, was quite Woody Allen-esque in it's presentation of New York City. It's like a love letter to the city with some stunning shots of Brooklyn bridge all highlighted with some great cinematography by Jonathan Freeman. If you love movies that feature the city that never sleeps, I would give it a watch.If you're looking for an action packed frenzy you've come to the wrong place. However, if you are looking for a quaint and understated story of love - for each other, for pets, for your home and for your city - with beautiful performances by acting legends Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman, then I would definitely say that spending 90 minutes with Ruth & Alex would not be a waste.

What goes around comes around... This film makes some compelling points - there's nothing like history to create incredible intimacy and not much is more intimate than the home one makes... Time matters - and wisdom is understanding what it's meant and what it means... A great view should never be underestimated! All the other things that change around us does not have to "change us"...Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton, the duo surprised me... Another two or three 'affectionate' exchanges between them would have made me happier - but it worked! Their chemistry made the profoundness of sharing a long and satisfying life together very believable...Diane Keaton scaled down her usual shtick and Claire van der Boom was spot-on as a young Diane... Morgan Freeman's 'warmth' and 'memories' were touching... The movie is a simple film full of gentle reminders of how special time, love, and home are... That said, I would bet that the niece-realtor (Cynthia Nixon) sent them a nice bill!