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'Hats Off' hails nonagenarian's standoff with age. So?

By Steve Persall, Times Film Critic
In print: Thursday, May 15, 2008

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ADVERTISEMENT [Canobie Films] Mimi Weddell, 93, from the documentary Hats Off, displays her penchant for headgear.

Hats Off (not rated, probably PG) (84 min.) — Harrison Ford is still a blockbusting swashbuckler at 66, and the Young@Heart chorus of rocking seniors swings out singing. So, what is it about actor/bon vivant Mimi Weddell that deserves a movie, other than she has survived to age 93?

Director Jyll Johnstone can't find a concrete answer in her documentary Hats Off, despite a decade's access to Weddell's routine of chasing down bit parts and modeling gigs. Sure, it's a kick to see Weddell flipping through gymnastics classes, and being named one of New York's 50 most beautiful people is a neat twist on that distinction. Anyone defying expectations of aging is at least momentarily interesting.

But Johnstone settles for the sheer novelty of Weddell's existence, unlike the Young@Heart documentary currently in theaters, which makes stylish longevity seem within anyone's reach. Hats Off suggests it's Weddell's way or nothing, and she's an exception to the mortality rule.

Viewers may recognize Weddell from her brief appearances on TV's Sex and the City and Law & Order, and in films, including Across the Universe, Hitch and Broken Flowers. Her brittle physical appearance is deceiving but suitable for roles poking fun at seniors. Johnstone doesn't inquire much about that image, nor does she delve into the slight embarrassment Weddell's family suggests in interviews.

Without such insight, Hats Off is merely an overlong version of a brief human interest segment on the evening news. C+

Steve Persall, Times film critic