The Tomorrow Man

Filmmaker Noble Jones’s The Tomorrow Man is a quirky romance tale centered on two eccentric senior citizens. Somewhere in rural America, retired Ed Hemsler (John Lithgow) believes every conspiracy theory and/or doomsday prophecy that he hears or reads. Determined to be prepared for the inevitable apocalypse, Ed buys enough food and emergency supplies to survive a disaster for an indeterminate length of time. One day, while stocking up on canned goods in the supermarket, he spies Ronnie Meisner (Blythe Danner) in the checkout line, paying cash for her groceries instead of using a credit card. Thinking she might be a fellow survivalist, he is eager to make her acquaintance. After starting a conversation in the parking lot, they meet for coffee. He’s “on the wrong side of 60,” divorced for many years, with a grown son (Derek Cecil) who has a family of his own. She’s a lonely widow whose daughter recently died. And they are both partial to Captain & Tennille’s version of the ‘70s pop song “Muskrat Love.” Obviously, they are kindred spirits, so one thing leads to another, although their TV-viewing habits are vastly different. Ed watches a cable TV news program in which the anchorwoman always seems to conclude the broadcast by talking directly to him, while Ronnie is devoted to WWII documentaries. Another difference: he’s a meticulous neatnik, while she’s a compulsive hoarder. Jones’s quirky dramedy builds slowly, moving towards a surprising conclusion. Unfortunately, little time is devoted to backstory and character development, so while veterans Lithgow and Danner make the most of their superficially-scripted roles in this idiosyncratic film, it is still a disappointment. Optional. (S. Granger)