“Every morning before having breakfast, I pick up my newspaper, get the obituary section, and see if I’m listed,” says comedy legend Carl Reiner. “If I’m not, I’ll have my breakfast.” The 95-year-old wonders why some of his friends died years ago, while others are still thriving, asking, “Was it luck, genes, modern medicine or are we doing something right?” If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast celebrates the art of enjoying life after age 90, aided by a good dose of humor. Reiner’s nephew, George Shapiro (Seinfeld), produces and Danny Gold directs. In this heartwarming documentary, Reiner tracks down such celebrated nonagenarians and centenarians as Mel Brooks, 90, Dick Van Dyke, 91, Norman Lear, 94, and Betty White, 95, who show that the later years can truly be the happiest and most rewarding. The film’s opening title song, “The Best Is Yet to Come,” is performed by Tony Bennett, 90, and the original song “Just Getting Started,” is co-written and performed by Alan Bergman, 90. Others featured include comic book writer and publisher Stan Lee, the former president of Marvel, who’s still writing, producing and making cameo appearances in hit films at 94; Patricia Morison, 101, an actress and singer, and fashion icon Iris Apfel, 95. Actor Kirk Douglas, 100, chats with Reiner about the stroke that left him unable to speak and the subsequent one-man show he undertook, with his wife’s encouragement, to prove he could still function. Also interviewed are Harriette Thompson, 93, the oldest woman to run and finish a marathon, Ida Keeling, 101, a track and field athlete, who works out for an hour every day, 98-year-old yoga teacher, Tao Porchon-Lynch, who marched with Gandhi and recently took up tango, and Jim “Pee Wee” Martin, 95, who fought in D-Day and still parachutes. Admirers from the younger set featured in the documentary include comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who’s already reserved the stage at Caesars Palace for his 100th birthday show; longevity expert Dan Buettner, and Van Dyke’s much-younger wife, Arlene, who’s got all she can handle keeping up with her exuberant husband on the dance floor. HBO Documentary Films presents a Shapiro/West Production in association with Gold Entertainment; original song “Just Getting Started” by Alan & Marilyn Bergman and Dave Grusin; edited by Michael Mayhew; executive produced by Aimee Hyatt and Howard West; written by Danny Gold and Michael Mayhew; produced by George Shapiro; produced and directed by Danny Gold.
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