The Greying of Hollywood

February 1st and the countdown to Oscar night begins in earnest. By now the nominations are well known, the PR campaigns are ratcheting up to full gear, and we may be witnessing a major shift (dare I say paradigm) in the way the film industry deals with North America's aging population. Just look at some of the nominess: Judy Dench, Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren, Clint Eastwood, Peter O'Toole for heaven's sake....fabulous performances all and I know for a fact that at least two of them wear adult diapers. This is surely unprecedented and will likely herald a new era where the term "silver screen" takes on a whole new meaning.

The baby boom, that sweetheart generation of all marketers and demographers, is moving towards its dotage and taking its retirement savings along for the ride. Hollywood execs are finally feeling brave enough to cash in on this trend and will be producing more films that appeal to the older crowd. The recent and unfortunate Passing the Stone and it's inevitable copycat counterparts (see ad below) are but timid attempts at "going grey" while still maintaining some youth appeal.

Hollywood will always target the younger audience but I, who was born at the tail end of the baby boom and straddle the gap between both age groups (sort of like the mighty Colossus of Rhodes only much smaller and with a mysterious rash) will undoubtedly benefit from the greater choice of movies and the option of a more mature product.