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Jethro Tull once sang, "Now he's too old to rock 'n' roll, but he's too young to die." The senior citizen chorus of the documentary Young at Heart would certainly disagree with the first part.

You're never too old to rock, these elderly warblers insist, and Young at Heart insists just as vehemently that you're never too old to stop living life to the fullest. The documentary follows the Young at Heart Chorus, average age 80, as they prepare for a concert of contemporary music. The choir, which has performed around the world, covers bands from the Rolling Stones to Sonic Youth.

Along the way, the viewers get to know a number of the singers and their chorus director Bob Cilman very well. Joyful and passionate, these singers are still alive, dammit, and even at 90 they can do a mean James Brown cover.

There is a lot of humor drawn from the personal lives of the singers. Constantly cracking jokes, the chorus is full of personality. Some are surprisingly randy, like flirtatious 92-year-old Eileen Hall. Fred Knittle, 81, said he and his wife of more than 50 years used to go out for romantic evenings twice a week - "I went out on Tuesday, and she went out on Thursday" - but shortly after this joke about infidelity, he gives her a sweet kiss. And 76-year-old Bob Salvini spent several days in the emergency room singing nonstop after a brush with death.

Director Stephen Walker (Hardcore) also gets some comic mileage out of shooting the group like rock stars in the opening shots of a concert. And the voice-over tells of funny details of their lives, such as the fact Eileen is the only person in her nursing home with a key to the front door, because she often returns so late from shows.

But what makes this documentary moving in addition to just funny are its insights into mortality. Obviously with a group so old, some have serious health problems, such as one member who comes to rehearsal weak after having chest pains and another who carries an oxygen machine. Sometimes the group is even forced to take days off for various medical reasons, and suffice to say, not everyone makes it to the concert.

Yet because of the singers' ages, all the songs have an extra layer of meaning - "Stayin' Alive," "I Feel Good" and "Forever Young" take on a different resonance when sung by a group of 80-year-olds.

And this is clearly very important to the singers themselves. For example, Salvini hadn't sung since his time in the emergency room and remarks it would be "devastating" if he couldn't find his voice again. When he steps up to the microphone in rehearsal, you'll hold your breath.

Perhaps once or twice, a schmaltzy score may creep in unnecessarily, and at one point the director asks a very ill singer a question that verges on being insensitive and manipulative. But these are very, very minor complaints, just a few moments in the film. Apart from these small quibbles, the film is very well done.

And since the five-star rating should be reserved for the mythical "perfect" movie, Heart falls slightly short. But so far, it's the best movie of 2008 and the best documentary this critic has ever seen. Every person in the world should see this movie.

dan.benamor@gmail.com

RATING: 4.5 STARS OUT OF 5

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