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Enough Said
Despite pedestrian direction and an overly complex screenplay from the creative force behind Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the 2013 romantic comedy Enough Said remains completely watchable thanks to an absolutely winning cast, anchored by the surprising chemistry between the leads.
Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) is a divorced masseuse with a college-bound daughter who goes to a party where she meets a vivacious divorced writer named Marianne (Catherine Keener), who she starts massaging and strikes up a friendship. At the same party, Eva also meets Albert (the late James Gandolfini), a divorced television historian with a college bound daughter as well. Eva begins dating Albert and the relationship is going swimmingly until Eva figures out that Albert is Marianne's ex-husband.
Director and screenwriter Nicole Holofcener has crafted a story that plays a little like an extended episode of a sitcom, but aggravates when the really terrific relationship that is set up between Eva and Albert is blown up by the revelation of who Marianne is. Absolutely loved the initial scenes of Eva and Albert's first few dates, where they get to know each other. The dialogue has a refreshing and surprisingly frank, Woody Allen-esque quality to it that puts the audience behind the relationship immediately. Eva is a smart woman and it's a little hard to believe that she thought she could get away with keeping this secret from both Albert and Marianne.
There are a couple of subplots involving Eva's daughter's BFF and a massage client who lives on the second floor of a house who never offers to help Eva carry her table that just seem to pad the running time. But what makes us stay invested here is the completely believable and rich chemistry between Louis-Dreytfuss and Gandolfini that, when we see their names in the credits, we think "really?", but it totally works.
It was nice to watch an actual movie romance where the leads aren't in their 20's. There's an absolutely lovely moment when Albert and Eva have just finished lovemaking and he tentatively asks her if she has trouble breathing when he's on top of her...an unabashedly human moment of romantic vulnerability that melted my heart.
Louis-Dreyfuss, Gandolfini, and Keener receive rock solid support from Toni Collette (who is allowed to use her natural Australian accent) as Eva's BFF, Ben Falcone as Collette's husband, and Tracy Fairaway as Eva's daughter. There's also a brief appearance from Toby Huss as Eva's ex...you might recognize Huss as a romantic interest for Elaine Benis on Seinfeld. The story is a little overstuffed, but it's sweet and richhly entertaining. Fans of the film it's Complicated will have a head start here.
Despite pedestrian direction and an overly complex screenplay from the creative force behind Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the 2013 romantic comedy Enough Said remains completely watchable thanks to an absolutely winning cast, anchored by the surprising chemistry between the leads.
Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) is a divorced masseuse with a college-bound daughter who goes to a party where she meets a vivacious divorced writer named Marianne (Catherine Keener), who she starts massaging and strikes up a friendship. At the same party, Eva also meets Albert (the late James Gandolfini), a divorced television historian with a college bound daughter as well. Eva begins dating Albert and the relationship is going swimmingly until Eva figures out that Albert is Marianne's ex-husband.
Director and screenwriter Nicole Holofcener has crafted a story that plays a little like an extended episode of a sitcom, but aggravates when the really terrific relationship that is set up between Eva and Albert is blown up by the revelation of who Marianne is. Absolutely loved the initial scenes of Eva and Albert's first few dates, where they get to know each other. The dialogue has a refreshing and surprisingly frank, Woody Allen-esque quality to it that puts the audience behind the relationship immediately. Eva is a smart woman and it's a little hard to believe that she thought she could get away with keeping this secret from both Albert and Marianne.
There are a couple of subplots involving Eva's daughter's BFF and a massage client who lives on the second floor of a house who never offers to help Eva carry her table that just seem to pad the running time. But what makes us stay invested here is the completely believable and rich chemistry between Louis-Dreytfuss and Gandolfini that, when we see their names in the credits, we think "really?", but it totally works.
It was nice to watch an actual movie romance where the leads aren't in their 20's. There's an absolutely lovely moment when Albert and Eva have just finished lovemaking and he tentatively asks her if she has trouble breathing when he's on top of her...an unabashedly human moment of romantic vulnerability that melted my heart.
Louis-Dreyfuss, Gandolfini, and Keener receive rock solid support from Toni Collette (who is allowed to use her natural Australian accent) as Eva's BFF, Ben Falcone as Collette's husband, and Tracy Fairaway as Eva's daughter. There's also a brief appearance from Toby Huss as Eva's ex...you might recognize Huss as a romantic interest for Elaine Benis on Seinfeld. The story is a little overstuffed, but it's sweet and richhly entertaining. Fans of the film it's Complicated will have a head start here.