Enough Said

source: Enough Said

I was really looking forward to this film, mainly because I really liked director Holofcener's previous efforts, Walking & Talking & Please Give. However this to me came off as a trite, predictable sitcom episode guest-starring Dreyfus & Gandalfino doing their usual shticks. Hahaha. Particularly irritating are Dreyfus's constant mugging & over-acting to every situation in every scene in order,I guess, to please to her fams. Gandolfino mostly shrugs his way through his part, looking bored & maybe even a little embarrassed & never upstaging his co- star but never being very funny, either. This is like a contemporary vesion of those awful Bob Hope comedies they cranked out in the 60s & 70s when the star was far too old for his parts but his routines were still bankable with an ever-gullible public.

I went to see this film for two reasons, because it got great reviews and because of James Gandolfini. Unfortunately, the reviews were wrong. Great performances by Dreyfus and Gandolfini are forced to cohabitate with a terrible, mundane plot. This makes it impossible to feel sympathy for the characters or their lives. It seems as if the characters are purposely depicted in a way as to evoke pity. This is enraging because these characters are not pathetic in the least. I tried really really hard to empathize with the them, but it was impossible. They are just not realistic and therefore impossible to care about. Julia Louis Dreyfus' uninteresting character egomaniacally brings on all her own misfortunes. We see her make bad choice after bad choice. It is no wonder that she ruins all her personal relationships. She's an idiot! But Dreyfus' acting is fantastic. What a paradox! The most enraging thing is that this film was advertised as a humorous drama. I left the theater post-film, fuming at being misled. I felt I'd had been taken like a sucker into thinking this was some kind of quirky little indie film, something Squid and the Whale-ish (even though I don't like Squid, I like that genre). I would have accepted the film more openly had it at least been a romantic comedy, but Enough Said is a full-on romance. It has some hilarious parts, but they are single handedly the result of Dreyfus' spectacular performance. This film snubs us unlucky people by declaring that it is in fact our own fault that are we live screwed up lives. But we unlucky people don't want to be told it's our fault. We like to blame the world for our problems, and we like to see charters on the screen that fall from grace not because they fly to close to the sun, but because the sun explodes and engulfs them in flames. I can name on one hand the romances stories I like, so perhaps by not being part of this film's target audiences I am negatively biased. Whatever it was the film's producers were trying to evoke in me, they failed at it. More reviews at getthebonesaw.blogspot.com

ENOUGH SAID (2013) ***1/2 Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette, Ben Falcone, Tracey Fairaway, Tavi Gevinson, Eve Hewson, Toby Huss, Amy Landecker, Kathleen Rose Perkins. Excellent romcom with top of their game acting by Louis-Dreyfus and Gandolfini (in his penultimate role) as a pair of mismatched divorcees attempting a relationship that is complicated by the fact that his ex (Keener) is her masseuse client leading to a comedy of errors and a lot of emotional juggling. Funny, real and spot-on dialogue highlight a great screenplay by Nicole Holofcener allowing her leads to sparkle and display some subtle nuanced charms. A winner.

Went to see this movie not really knowing what to expect, i don't really go to the theater i went to, i just wanted to see this because it's going to be one of James Gandolfinis last films and i love Gandolfini in general. Turns out, i got more than i bargained for, it actually turned out to be one of my favorite films of the year, not just because of Gandolfini, but because of the other cast such as the wonderful Julia Louis-Dreyfus and many others. Loved what they did with it and i am so glad that the great life of James Gandolfini will be ending on a great memorable note. So please if this movie is play around somewhere, probably at an independent theater, please take into consideration to see this movie, whether your a fan of Gandolfini or just fun movies, this movie is great for everyone.

Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, Enough Said is an effort aimed at adults about one adult and one not-so adult. Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a divorced masseuse with a daughter leaving for college in a short while. She meets Albert (James Gandolfini) at a party and discovers he is also divorced and also has a daughter leaving for college in the fall. Eva and Albert hit it off at the party in a subdued, measured way. Albert likes Eva. He likes her sense of humor and her openness. Eva thinks that she may also like Albert, although she is surprised that she might be falling for someone who is fat. After a short while, the movie takes a sharp turn south and becomes more and more absurd. Eva meets divorced, navel-gazing, pop poet, Marianne. Eva doesn't know it, but Marianne is the former wife of Albert. Marianne needs a confidant and turns to Eva. She talks about the shortcomings of her ex-husband constantly. They are never issues of integrity or values, but petty laundry lists of annoying habits. Eva absorbs Marianne's petty, superficial judgments like a sponge. At a dinner party hosted by her best friend, Eva suddenly and continually humiliates Albert in front of her friends. She spews out cruel, vengeful criticism and mocks Albert. Albert is crushed. He thought Eva cared for him the way he cared for her. Eva broke Albert's heart. Eva was needy and shallow. She attached herself to her daughters best friend to make her a surrogate daughter and didn't even bother to wait until her own child had left for college to do so. She realized that she made a huge mistake with Albert, not because she's sorry for betraying his friendship and love, but because she "misses" him. Seriously, how is the audience expected to connect with a character like Eva? Albert is presented as a loyal, trust-worthy man with quiet dignity and immense integrity. Eva is presented as a clinging twit without an ounce of self-awareness. Great acting jobs by Galdolfini, Louis-Dreyfus, Toni Collette (as Eva's best friend), and Catherine Keener (as Albert's ex-wife). Weak script, character development, and directing. Enough said.

This movie had potential. A good and credible storyline, and a fine performance by the late James Gandolfini. In a story about two wounded, lonely hearts who find connection, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a disaster in the role of a somewhat awkward middle-aged woman who has been hurt before, but who is willing to risk hurt and rejection for the chance of new romance. Louis-Dreyfus corrupts her character into a needy, unbalanced, self-absorbed nut-job (did I say unbalanced?). Instead of that warm romantic feeling we're supposed to have for these two, I found myself screaming at Albert (Gandolfini) to run like hell! The tragedy is that Gandolfini is well cast in his role and that he does an excellent job drawing us into his character. The movie is a bitter-sweet romantic drama, but Louis-Dreyfus plays it like an episode of Seinfeld. So sad that this was James Gandolfini's last movie. Enough Said, Indeed.

Enough said, said enough in the first ten minutes. The story was predictable from beginning to end. I even found myself mouthing lines of predictable dialog before seconds before the actors themselves. The entire cast of actors is excellent but wasted on a mediocre script and inept directing. Long, pointless dialog scenes which aim to be clever but fall flat caused me to simply tune out despite the considerable charms of the cast. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays a masseuse but she looks so unfamiliar and awkward in the job, it calls attention to the entire vision of the writer-director that her character, like all the characters is a story concept not a real human being. The fact that she is an amazing actor saves the day. She shows an honesty and openness that makes the film bearable. Even the late, great James Gandolfini while pleasant to watch seems to be running on fumes. Save this one for video, its not worth the price of admission.

Earlier this year we lost James Gandolfini. Although he already left a rich legacy with The Sopranos, it felt like he still had more to give us. I saw an interview with Julia Louis-Dreyfus yesterday and while she put on a brave face, when asked about Gandolfini, you could tell how deeply saddened he was by his death. Good thing that Enough Said is such a joyous and light- hearted film despite inevitably destined to be associated with his death. I'm a fan of The Sopranos and I've never really watched or liked Seinfeld, but it's a genius idea to pair these two actors up in such off-type roles. There was a huge goofy grin on my face when they were on screen together. They shed those past screen images with surprising ease and reveal effortless human beings. That's the beauty in their performances. It's incredibly funny at times and quietly poignant in others. But it's a gentle film in its very casual visual approach and lack of emotionally explosive scenes. Unfortunately the subplots really bog the film down. They don't add to the film's point and are just not up to the same quality. The daughter subplot is the only one close but it wasn't focused enough. However, Enough Said is still a very charming film with a mature look at adult love and second chances. 7/10

'ENOUGH SAID': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five) James Gandolfini (in one of his last film roles) co-stars with Julia Louis-Dreyfus in this romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Nicole Holofcener. Holofcener also helmed such critically acclaimed movies as 2010's 'PLEASE GIVE', 2006's 'FRIENDS WITH MONEY' and 2001's 'LOVELY & AMAZING'. This film also co-stars Catherine Keener (a usual player in Holofcener's movies), Toni Collette and Ben Falcone. I think it's one of Gandolfini's best and most likable performances and Louis-Dreyfus has never been better or more lovable as well. Fans of honest and real romantic comedies should be more than pleased. Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as Eva, a divorced massage therapist who is not looking forward to her daughter, Ellen (Tracey Fairaway), going away to college. She goes to a party with her friend Sarah (Collette), and Sarah's husband Will (Falcone), and meets Albert (Gandolfini). Albert is a divorced father who's also not looking forward to his daughter, Tess (Eve Hewson), moving away for school. Eva and Albert hit it off and begin dating, despite the fact that Eva is not physically attracted to Albert (due to him being overweight). Eva also starts giving massages to a client she met at the party as well, named Marianne (Keener). The two become friends and Marianne tells Eva a bunch of horror stories about her ex-husband. When Eva learns that her ex is Albert things become complicated as she doesn't know how to tell Albert or Marianne that she knows the other. The film is funny but in a very real way; I was really impressed with how much the movie felt so true to life. It has a lot to say about attraction and relationships, as well as family and divorce. Eva and Albert's relationship is the driving point of the film and the two lead performances really make the whole thing work. Gandolfini is once again awkward and kind of crude but ultimately very lovable. It's Louis-Dreyfus that really surprised me though. On 'SEINFELD' she was so self centered and unlikeable (like all of the characters on that show, except for Kramer) so it's really refreshing to see her be so adorable. She's really sweet and so is this film; Holofcener gives the movie the perfect touch once again and proves why she's an awesome indie film director. I really liked this movie and think most others will too. Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gmBnRGZV8o