Hats Off (2008)

Mimi Weddell is, at age 90, a working actress, and the star of this biographical documentary. Numerous people with whom she has worked are interviewed, and they are all in agreement, Mimi works very hard at her craft. We follow her to various classes, which include among others, gymnastics, (she does three somersaults in succession!), and tap dancing. She is blessed with a patrician visage, which was used to excellent advantage in Sex and the City, (the series), in which she played Stanford Blatch's aristocratic grandmother, who was addicted to Chanel suits. Weddell is proud of being able to trace her family back to the Mayflower, although her Pilgrim ancestor apparently made the trip as an indentured servant. However, her adult children seem to find the Mayflower legacy bordering on being an embarrassment. At a time when so much of the news about older people is about illness and loss of capacity, it is refreshing and encouraging to see a woman of Mimi Weddell's age living so full a life, and obviously enjoying it. We should all be blessed to reach age 90 with her"joie de vivre".