During the last Presidential campaign, The Villages in Florida became a hot spot for political conflict. This active senior citizens community was a destination for the candidates and their various surrogates. They all wanted to saw the citizens of a “town” that swelled from 800 people in the mid-80s to 130,000 silver haired voters. And every week the animosity between residents rose with their various golf cart parades ending with fist fights and flag battles. What’s the deal with this retirement “paradise”? Some Kind of Heaven goes beyond the brochure to examine a few of the people who move into houses knowing there next big move will feature a hearse in the driveway. The documentary appears shot in 2018 so there’s no talk of the election.
This is an active adult community and we get an eyeful of all the active activities that are done to keep the residents hoping. They’re driving their golf carts as a precision drill team. They synchronized swim in a huge pool. And there’s plenty of Pickleball! Seriously, there’s a faux tennis called Pickleball. The residents describe the place as a bubble from the outside. There’s no crime or poverty or minorities. Seriously, the community is 98.3% white. They do interview a minority resident about how he keeps active. The documentary narrows it’s focus down to a man, a woman and a couple with different experiences of their life.
Barbara is a widow who sold her house near snowy Boston to embrace the Florida golden years. But after 11 years in the Villages, her savings ran out. She’s now working for the place full time to afford her life. She’s also wanting to start dating again. There’s a lot of widowed people so it’s a rich dating pool although not as many rich guys as you’d imagine. One guy she needs to avoid is Dennis. He seems like a nice enough 81 year old guy until you realize he’s living in a van doing his best to hook up with widows eager for live-in boyfriend. He swims around in the pool looking for the next Mrs. Right. He has to be careful that he doesn’t get kicked out of The Villages since he’s not a real resident. As the film goes on, we get a deeper look at Dennis that isn’t too appealing. We also get to meet Anne and Reggie who have been married for 47 years. Anne is serious about her Pickleball. Reggie has used his retirement years to get into mysticism and drugs. He’s smoking weed and dabbling in harder stuff while making weird internet videos. Their relationship is hitting the rocks as she can’t get a grasp on him even when he gets busted by the cops. The one confusing part is Reggie is charged for having $5 worth of cocaine in his wallet. How little is $5 worth of cocaine. There’s probably still $5 worth of cocaine specks on your $20 bill if it’s been through Miami in the ’80s.
Director Lance Oppenheim and his crew get under the skin of The Villages with their portraits of the four people. It gives an idea of what to expect when you decide to toss down $300,000 on a cottage house inside the warmth of the Baby Boomer Bubble world. Can you handle that much Jimmy Buffet music in your life? The film doesn’t quite address what happens to the people who become non-active adults. We don’t see the hearses cruising the lanes, but we do see a plan your funeral seminar. Barbara does give us a sense of what happens if you outlive your money. Just be careful who you meet in the swimming pool.
Some Kind of Heaven is available on available On Demand via Apple TV, Google Play, Prime Video, FandangoNOW and more on April 13. You can also pick up the DVD. The movie was reviewed from a streaming source. We’re not sure if the DVD has bonus features.
