A Mature romance

Sometimes, simple stories can have a lasting effect, romantic ones especially. Romance movies, when they succeed, do so, mainly because the audience roots for the characters to get together in the end. And if the roles are played wonderfully by stars who are several times bigger than the simple characters they play, it becomes a treat to watch.

Iris (Jane Fonda) is a recently widowed line worker at the local bakery. In her words, "the line never ends". The loss of her husband and the burden of supporting two kids and her sister's family is a big source of her anxiety but she doesn't show it too much. Stanley Cox (De Niro) works in the bakery's canteen as a cook. He befriends Iris one day when she loses her purse to a robber. To her, Stanley comes across as an enigma initially. He is very withdrawn and doesn't talk a lot to her, but does give out signs that he wants to be friends. He has a very old father whom he lives with, rides a bicycle to work and does things that other men wouldn't.

Iris soon discovers the reason for Stanley's introverted personality. He can't read or write and is too ashamed to admit. Subsequently, he loses his job as a cook, when the manager decides he can't hire someone who will not be able to distinguish between sugar and rat poison.

Iris is the not the kind of woman who'd stand and watch while someone suffers. So she decides to intervene and offers to teach him to read and write. They start meeting more often which gives them the chance to understand each other's expectation from the relationship.

I do not wish to tell you much more than this, although the ending is no suspense in a movie like this. It was a treat to watch some scenes. Both performances were fantastic and just right for the story. A younger De Niro, playing a soft character is not something we see often. I can only remember him for all his "Come on"s and hand gestures when he usually plays the tough guy.
Not that I mind watching him in those roles, but this was a genuine surprise.