Something's Gotta Give

Something's Gotta Give..........Directed by Nancy Meyers ~ 2003

Jack Nicholson.....Diane Keaton........Amanda Peet.........
Keanu Reeves...........Frances McDormand



This movie really didn't live up to my expectations of a Nicholson and Keaton romantic comedy........even though some scenes are quite hillarious.........the movie is predictable and has a "hollywood" style ending.....

Nancy Meyers message throughout the movie........ was in my opinion......... the complexity of age differences in relationships and the realisation that love comes unexpectedly at any age......without boundaries.....is what Meyers portrayed wonderfully.

Jack Nicholson is superb..... but Diane Keaton truly steals the show.............

It was amazing to see how Nicholson and Keaton had aged since their last movies........fine lines around Diane Keaton's mouth and eyes are prevalent........BUT she is just so beautiful with or without lines......just stunning....... her full frontal nude screen, was in good taste and she puts women half her age to shame........she is incredibly talented..

6/10

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"I'm your hell, I'm your dream.......I'm nothing in between.......You know you wouldn't want it any other way".........

"Listen, when I slap you, you'll take it and like it"..........Humphrey Bogart..........Maltese Falcon.......

Graze on my lips and if those hills be dry, stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie...........William Shakespeare.......

HATED the ending. I could not believe it. SabreMan79 felt the same way.

We enjoyed the rest of the movie.

Yep.......

someone slap her now...........

I know who I would have picked............

Nice review Nikki.... I haven't had a chance to see this yet though...

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I loved the whole movie, including the ending. It's the best mainstream Romantic Comedy of the last few years. Diane and Jack were both terrific, it was a smart script with plenty of genuine character-based laughs, and it's just plain well done all around. One of my favorite movies of the year, easy.

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It was good even though Reeves was in it? Go figure.

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Kong enjoyed the first half-hour, which was funny and intelligent, but became quite bored with the remainder of the film. Excessive yet generic romatic comedy machination dulled the good performances and above average dialogue.

Not bad, but not good either.

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Not a film I was going to see but ended up there anyway. Nicholson's performance will always keep me in the theatre. Keaton was good but became a little annoying in her 'heartbroken' portrayal. Overall, not too bad but the ending dragged on in my opinion.

I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it really showed the meaning of what a relationship should be like. I would even like to own "Something's Gotta Give."

Something's Gotta Give




I was less impressed with this film than some. I recently purchased it in the $5 Wal-Mart bin and expected to enjoy it more than I did. Amanda Peet was miscast as the younger love of Nicholson. As an actress, she's neither terribly attractive or interesting. I also had a problem with Frances McDormand being in the movie. I don't mind when actors have small roles, but when the small roles are nothing parts I take issue with it. Watching the film I began to understand the only reason the role exists is to give the main Diane Keaton character a female counterpart and for Nancy Meyers to allow her own feminists ideals flow through the one dinner speach. Meyers is basically talking through McDormand.
I also have issue with the entire concept. I understand Meyers is writing a story about a person writing a story about what goes on in the story. But the whole invention fell flat and contrived again. I guess that's my main beef with the film. It's contrived. It's a contrived role for Jack Nicholson, who does nothing but play himself. Even in the other big Nicholson chick flick, As Good as It Gets, he at least stretched himself. I understand the ending is contrived and of course they must get together. I also hated the tagged on "one year later" bit and the interludes of music which correspond to a scene of the characters mouthing dialogue to show bonding. Contrived.
Meyers, looking at her filmography seems to be a pseudo feminist. While she admits a middle aged woman may need the love of a man, she does so reluctantly and on her own terms. This material is coming from the writing who gave us trite like What Women Want, Private Benjamen, Baby Boom, and the flop I Love Trouble.
I appreciate the idea of showing sexuality beyond age 50. That was a plus in the film, but again it seemed entirely staged. In fact almost all the characters seemed a bit theatrical to me. I would easily accept this material if it was on stage. It feels like a stage play to me, not a film. That's not necessarily a bad thing, except for a film with several different locations, it's very clausterphobic. Oddly enough one of the best things about the film was the Keanu Reeves character who defies convention and is actually a formiddable opponent for our 60-year old protagonist. Unfortunately he suffers from Paul Hendreid syndrom ala Casablanca and is almost too nobel. I didn't believe the turn of events one bit in the end.
Also how soon Diane Keaton and Nicholson fall for each other, especially after it's been setup that they despise one another is contrived. I far enjoyed the slow burning candle of acceptance, tolerance, and flirtatious enjoyment of one another as seen between Nicholson and Helen Hunt in As Good as It Gets. How Diane Keaton was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in Something's Gotta Give, is beyond me. Her moments at the typewriting crying her eyesout were too over-the-top and slapstick for me. Speaking of slapstick, the running gag of the heartattack should be best left for "Sanford and Son" reruns. It's a bit too much for this type of film.
I won't say I didn't enjoy the film, because I did. However there's just too much to nitpick about it for me to praise it. It also didn't leave me feeling good and I never believed the two lead characters. I felt nothing. Maybe they hopped into the sack a bit too quickly.

Grade: B-

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I enjoyed your review, viddy, and I basically agree with you. I'd give it a low B/high B-, although I may have laughed out loud more than you did. My fave part of your post was when you implied that Keanu Reeves deserved a Nobel Prize. Nice to see you here.

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Nice review Viddy.... I must not have been too impressed with this one because I only remember bits and pieces... and for the life of me, when I try to remember the ending, I'm drawing a blank....

that's a lot of dots !

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It is easily forgettable. The ending takes place in Paris where Jack goes and keeps his promise to meet Keaton on her birthday, but he discovers that she's in a strong relationship with Mr. Neo. Neo of course does the honorable, but unrealistic thing of letting the two get together. Then we have a lame flashfoward to a year later and Jack and Miss Baby Boom are happily married and have a grandkid. Ugh.

Liked this movie a lot despite its predictability...Nicholson and especially Keaton were superb...I even found Amanda Peet less annoying than usual, but yeah, this was Keaton's movie all the way...loved that scene where she woke up and could not stop crying...a lesser actress could have made those moments come off as really stupid, but Keaton made it completely believable.