Watch 5 Flights Up For Free

I'll tell you why so serious

Good concept, poorly executed.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

This film tells a story of growing old, property marketing, terrorism and social change (or lack thereof). Quite a mixture of different themes, but to me the one that stands out the most is love. Ruth (Keaton) and Alex (Freeman) Carver find themselves selling their Brooklyn apartment of almost 40 years. Why? Well, the 5 flights of stairs they have to climb to reach it. Ruth wants to find somewhere with an elevator where they can grow old without having to worry, whereas Alex feels more sentimental about their long-time home and is skeptical about selling. This sets up their characters for the film, Ruth being more practical and forward thinking, while Alex thinks of the past and is carried more by his emotions.Within the next few days, Ruth and Alex find themselves in the middle of New York City where terrorism alarms are going off thanks to a young man believed to have a bomb. Meanwhile their beloved dog, Dorothy, is in veterinarian care after a turn for the worse and at the same time they are also on the cusp of selling their apartment and buying a new one within the hour.Throughout the film, they are plagued by the people around them who feel they are 'past it'. The young people push past Alex as though he weren't there, the couple they want to buy a new apartment from feel they don't know what they are doing and ultimately Lily (Nixon) their Realtor and also their niece tells them that they are 'old' and 'crazy', even though the reasons for their behavior seem completely realistic. It goes to show the process of getting older and how people are quick to dismiss what they are afraid of themselves, but the attitudes of Ruth and Alex - that being somewhat rebellious, even from when they got married, when it was illegal in 30 states - is what shines the most. They make a point of not living their lives based on what people expect of them and that's what makes them so appealing. The film itself, I thought, was quite Woody Allen-esque in it's presentation of New York City. It's like a love letter to the city with some stunning shots of Brooklyn bridge all highlighted with some great cinematography by Jonathan Freeman. If you love movies that feature the city that never sleeps, I would give it a watch.If you're looking for an action packed frenzy you've come to the wrong place. However, if you are looking for a quaint and understated story of love - for each other, for pets, for your home and for your city - with beautiful performances by acting legends Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman, then I would definitely say that spending 90 minutes with Ruth & Alex would not be a waste.

How do you take something as humdrum as a routine real estate transaction and turn it into a wonderfully warm, human, humorous, thoroughly beautiful and enjoyable movie? Watch it and you'll see how. Morgan Freeman is imposing. Dianne Keaton is wonderful. The film captures the hectic spirit of New York City accurately and does so without guns, sex, violence or foul language. (Well, okay, the "F-word turns up once.) It also tells a lasting love story about an older couple without resorting to mawkishness or clichés. So, say you, I'm some sort of goody two shoes blue stocking. Not at all. I just appreciate beautiful stories well told by dedicated filmmakers. This joins my ten top favourites ("The Great Race is number one")and a movie I shall heartily recommend to family and friends. Delightful!! Wonderful!!!

What goes around comes around... This film makes some compelling points - there's nothing like history to create incredible intimacy and not much is more intimate than the home one makes... Time matters - and wisdom is understanding what it's meant and what it means... A great view should never be underestimated! All the other things that change around us does not have to "change us"...Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton, the duo surprised me... Another two or three 'affectionate' exchanges between them would have made me happier - but it worked! Their chemistry made the profoundness of sharing a long and satisfying life together very believable...Diane Keaton scaled down her usual shtick and Claire van der Boom was spot-on as a young Diane... Morgan Freeman's 'warmth' and 'memories' were touching... The movie is a simple film full of gentle reminders of how special time, love, and home are... That said, I would bet that the niece-realtor (Cynthia Nixon) sent them a nice bill!

We watched this on DVD loaned to us by our neighbors. My wife and I are in our 60s and we identified very well what this couple is going through. While I predicted about half-way through what would be resolved in the end it still was interesting to see what all they did to get there.The long-time married couple are played by Morgan Freeman (approaching 80) as Alex Carver and Diane Keaton (approaching 70) as his wife Ruth. He is an artist, a painter. In flashbacks we see that they had met many years earlier when she was working as a model and he hired her for a sitting. They hit it off and were married.So, as this story opens the title meaning comes into play, they live 5 flights up in a Brooklyn apartment they own, with no elevator. Neither is getting younger plus they have a dog which is starting to have trouble with the stairs. So they have decided to sell their place and move to a place more easily accessible. Ruth's niece is a real estate agent and is eager to get her commission on the approximate $ One Million sale.The story is complicated by their dog becoming ill at the same time, needing $10 Thousand of surgery, so that decision is also reflected in the dynamics of the couple.Some viewers have criticized this story for what they consider "nothing happens." But that is actually the interest here, seeing how the couple arrives at that point.My wife and I are not that much younger than the couple depicted here and we also are living in a place for a long time. We have thought about selling and moving and have many of the same concerns this fictitious couple had. I doubt that the usual viewer under 50 would appreciate this movie as much.SPOILERS: They host an open house, they get several buyers bidding, while they go see a place in Manhattan, about the same price as the home they are selling. The seller starts to pressure them, their agent starts to pressure them, more concerned with her commission than what is good for the couple. They get frustrated, they cancel their offer, they cancel their sale, the dog recovers well, and they stay home where they are happy and the view is great.