I saw this movie when it was released on TV in 1975, right about the time my own widowed grandmother discovered ballroom dancing. I was 17, living with her, and I wondered what in the world had gotten into her--makeup? Sparkly floaty dresses? Horrors! Now I am the same age she was at the time and I see the movie in a whole new light. Now I understand the emotions, the reactions of the family and a lot more. About the music in the film - it's very typical of movies in the '70s. The lighting and the tone are fitting for the story, which is about adults in the sunset years, but they are living their lives to the best of their ability under their circumstances! Give the movie a chance and try to see it with the eyes of someone understanding the feelings of your parents or grandparents. It will make a lot more sense to you over time.

Hard to believe that Maureen Stapleton was only 50 when she made this movie. Charles Durning was two years older. Yet they're portrayed as a couple of frumpy and hopeless old fogies--especially her--grabbing for some last romance before they reach the graveyard. I felt also that even though most of these characters appeared to be Jewish, their ethnicity was played down too much--perhaps to appeal to a general television audience. Regardless, the story realistically portrays a woman rescued at the last moment from her family and friends' expectations. Her children want her to be a sexless grandmother-cum-babysitter living in their spare bedroom, and her sister and friends think she should be a proper widow without an emotional life. Naturally they're disappointed when she decides to live the rest of her life as a free woman who still has desires and dreams. (Durning, on the other hand, was more of a cipher. He confides that he has a wife, but nothing more is said about her. Is she an invalid? Are they living apart?) The ending was a little abrupt, but I liked the film's message that we're never too old for romance. Who would make this movie today? More important, who would go see it? Well, how about all those aging boomers who are wondering about the many loves they found, lost, or never explored in the first place when they were younger.

The pacing is overly rapid in certain places, Bea's sister and daughter are painted with a cartoonish brush, but the film manages to be genuinely moving and poignant throughout.

We are never asked to condone every change Bea makes; only to understand. Maureen Stapleton's human, subtly-keyed performance is the perfect centerpiece. Charles Durning is also wonderful in a role many actors would coast through. Once you see him here you'll never think of him in quite the same way again. These characters are so real, so everyday, that we can feel their joy and sorrow in ways cardboard types can't transmit.

The singing is jarring at first, but their shaky voices add to the realistic undertone of the fantasy.

Bea's unapologetic stance in her relationship with Al typifies the 70's and the 70's willingness to shake off conventions; I'm not sure if this tv-film would be made today with the same viewpoint.

I loved the atmosphere of the Stardust Ballroom, the different relationships and the nostalgia for days gone by. Bea comes alive in a room where most are trying to relive their past glories.

Flawless it may not be, but if you want to believe in love, in having a second chance at life no matter what your age is, this is the film to see.