’50 for All’ criticized and praised for being old-fashioned

The age category 50+ in the era of smartphoneization and digital addiction has become almost a symbol of hopelessness. And if the creators of the series “50 for All” decided with the help of their project to take the side of those who are called “retro” not without malice, then there is nothing wrong with such an intention. Even if you had to remove something from the past serial era.

An audience that is addicted to TV shows and not allergic to a locally produced product, of course, is sure that streaming has carried us into a new era. There is a hype around unhackneyed names, directors operate in the most risky methods, and in general there is something reminiscent of freedom of expression. Within reason, of course.

There are even recent examples. For example, “Actresses”, which was filmed by Fyodor Bondarchuk according to the script of his wife Paulina Andreeva. There was nothing new about the theatrical backstage, where, as has long been known, it is a little restless, in general, it was not said, but in places it was spectacular and almost always on the nerve. Or “Samsara” with Pavel Derevyanko stuck in time. The swing at the Strugatsky brothers and their famous story “Monday begins on Saturday” may not be the most intelligible, but there is a lot of action and it is not clear how it will all end.

Against this backdrop, “50 for All” may turn out to be a representative of a long-forgotten genre, the main sign of which is the lack of fuss in the sense of the dynamics that series tailored according to the new rules could accustom to. At the same time, the main character of “Everyone is 50” clearly likes to fuss.

According to the story, a lady named Yulia (Maria Poroshina) has a phenomenal ability to smother her entire family with love and care. She knows how her son Nikolai (Egor Kutenkov) to raise her grandson, perfectly understands what exactly her daughter Lena (Daria Zateeva) lacks in her personal life, and even her ex-husband Arseny (Sergey Zhigunov) is still ready to patronize. It is not easy for him, the poor fellow: the new wife terrorizes with diets and the desire to have a child. Both that and another at the man for fifty of enthusiasm do not cause at all. The situation can be saved by a retired pilot Roman (Yaroslav Boyko), meeting with whom becomes an occasion for Yulia to think about her beloved and her own desires.

In fact, this is a typical federal melodrama, in which, nevertheless, people’s favorites are filmed – in addition to the above, Anna Yakunina, Maxim Averin and others are involved in the project. For the stars, perhaps, you can rejoice. All these seasoned, who have played hundreds of difficult performances, not to mention high-profile roles in movies and TV shows, the artists in this situation are invited for a pleasant, easy walk.

It is unlikely that the characters offered to the stars can be called roles to overcome, besides, they all obviously have already played something. In general, total deja vu is one of the main emotions that does not let the audience go while watching. We seem to have seen it all many times, and not only in the movies. Take a look at your neighbors and find yourself in the epicenter of similar conversations and even similar jokes. Moreover, serial episodes capture about the same as neighborly chatter. You are always in the right place and never miss anything.

Probably, in the eyes of the younger public, all this is a verdict for the project. But it is these series that remind that viewers have different needs. The modern serial stream, of course, keeps in good shape, and if you follow the exciting import and local projects, then projects like “The Slave of Isaura” or “The Secret of the Tropical Girl” can be perceived as hits that have long been forgotten.

But, apparently, this is not entirely true. You can forget the old plots and old characters, but the atmosphere of these series turned out to be, at least among the townsfolk, very tenacious. There are still quite a few people who would like to see a clear line between good and bad, to sympathize with heroes whose virtue there is no doubt, and finally, to have the right to take a nap in front of the TV with the prospect of waking up at the right time.

“Everyone 50” is clearly not one of those projects that can please many. Even among the target audience, there were different opinions ranging from “it is not clear why the directors needed to shoot the same thing for the hundredth time” to “we shoot mainly for young people, but here the picture is clear and pleasant, not depressing.”

The desire to somehow rejuvenate the audience for television has become almost the main strategy. Some producers are so easily convinced that it makes no sense to spend resources on projects that do not surprise and excite. However, some humanistic considerations are often overlooked. TV is still watched by people whose eyes dazzle from energetic editing or their hearts start beating from forcing passions. And someone likes to cook for the series and, probably, also has the right to a picture that does not distract much from the cooking.

It is impossible not to admit that “All for 50” in its genre is far from the worst offer. But it is precisely in such series that the upper bar of the federal melodrama genre is clearly visible. And it is not higher than the Khrushchev ceiling.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29025 dated May 10, 2023

Newspaper headline:
At your age…