When a loved one dies, going through their belongings is a difficult task. A love letter, a vinyl 78 rpm record, a tattered wedding invitation that once seemed so important, may now be just junk.
A widow (Ellen Burstyn) stands among the ruins of her burned-out home. Stoic insurance adjuster (John Ortez) takes photos of the site and assures her of a prompt and reasonable settlement. Burstyn holds her husband’s prized baseball signed by Ted Williams dated 1948 as the only undamaged object.
Recognizing that the artifact would be of value, she seeks out a memorabilia broker, Jon Hamm. He gives her a quick assay of $80,000.
While that money plus the insurance settlement would put Ellen on the road to financial security, the story line changes. Ellen fades away, and the baseball triggers memories of the Hamm’s troubled past.
The rest of the movie takes Hamm back to his home town as he tries to make sense out of who he had become.
“Nostalgia” described as a single word would be ‘melancholy’, and is not the least bit fun to watch. On this point alone, I recommend you take a rain check on “Nostalgia” currently playing at the Rialto Theater in The Villages.
Jack Petro reviews movies for Villages-News.com
