American sex educator, author and artist Betty Dodson once said, “I consider 70 to be the youth of old age. So all you women who are afraid of getting old, just keep your orgasms in place, eat lots of vegetables, exercise and you’ll be fine.”
In the past, Hollywood portrayed older women in stereotypical roles: the spinster, the grandmother, the crotchety matriarch. Today, the Silver Screen welcomes women in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond to take center stage.
For older women, the movies have become a great place to learn about dating or, at the very least, to laugh out loud.
Here are some movies that are downright adorable and even a little educational when it comes to finding Mr. Right.
1. “It’s complicated”.
This romantic comedy starring Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin is a riot. It follows Jane (Streep), the owner of a successful bakery in Southern California, and Jake (Baldwin), a lawyer.
Jane and Jake are a divorced couple with three grown children who begin having an affair, even though Jake is married to the much younger Agness. At the same time, Jane is falling in love with Adam (Martin), an architect hired to remodel their house.
2. “Something has to give”.
Another great romantic comedy. “Something’s Gotta Give” features Jack Nicholson (Harry) and Diane Keaton (Erica), almost complete opposites, as they form a friendship and eventually fall in love.
Julian Mercer, a doctor at the local hospital played by Keanu Reeves, also courts Keaton, a successful playwright in her 50s.
Can Harry stop dating younger women and admit to himself that he is in love with Erica?
3. “Under the Tuscan Sun”.
Based on Frances Mayes’ 1996 memoir of the same name, “Under the Tuscan Sun” follows Frances Mayes, a recently divorced San Francisco writer who takes a vacation to Italy to try to overcome her depression.
She ends up buying a villa in Tuscany and begins her new life with a variety of interesting characters. Will Frances find love again?
4. “How Stella got her groove back.
Angela Bassett plays Stella, a successful 40-year-old stockbroker who lives in Marin County, California, with her son.
One of Stella’s best friends convinces her to go on a first-class vacation to Jamaica (a well-deserved and much-needed break), where she falls in love with Winston Shakespeare (Taye Diggs), a handsome islander 20 years her junior. Will their love last?
The films are meant to entertain, enlighten and educate. While there are not hundreds of films aimed at older women and dating, Silver Screen is becoming more welcoming to older women playing the object of affection and the sex object.
