Enough Said

Have I mentioned before that comedy is my favorite genre? If you haven't read my blog, the answer to that question is yes, as long it is truly a well written one with an interesting premise. The majority of comedies written in the last decades have been lackluster at best, if not a total wash. The ones that have been worthy I hold on to with a death grip and do not let go, for fear they'll disappear into oblivion. This next film in the offing is a subtle, but meaningful comedy titled, "Enough Said".

A divorced and single parent, Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) spends her days enjoying work as a massage therapist, but dreading her daughter, Ellen's (Tracey Fairaway) impending departure for college. She meets Albert (James Gandolfini)--a sweet, funny and like-minded man also facing an empty nest. As their romance blossoms, Eva befriends Marianne (Catherine Keener), her new massge client. Marianne is a beautiful poet who seems "almost perfect" except for one prominent quality: she rags on about her ex-husband way too much. Eva confides in her friend, Sarah (Toni Collette) about this, and suddenly, Eva finds herself doubting her own relationship with Albert as she learns the truth about Marianne's ex.

Others to round out the cast are Ben Falcone as Will, Sarah's husband, Tavi Gevinson as Chloe, Ellen's friend, Michaela Watkins as Hilary, Chloe's mom, Phillip Brock as Jason, Eva's ex, Eve Hewson as Tess, Albert's daughter, Nick Williams as Chris, and Ivy Strohmaier as Maddy.

This was written and directed with realism, warmth and heart by Nicole Holofcener ("Walking and Talking" '96, "Lovely & Amazing" '01, "Friends with Money" '06, "Please Give" '10). Holofcener really knows how to bring just the right amount of feeling and pathos that's needed convey just how real these characters are and what's actually going on with them and how they relate with each other, storywise. I've seen comedies about dysfunctional relationships before, but Holofcener allows us to see the dysfunction and vulnerabilities of these characters in a much more realistic way other than the over-the-top dysfunctional characters we see so much in other scripts. It is certainly refreshing. There were a couple of small, slow areas in script, but, at the end of the day, this story compelled you to stay glued to the screen.

We will certainly miss Gandolfini, this being his last film, or project for that matter--he passed away of a heart attack during this film's post production, but his memory will be indelible as we watch his effortless ability to convey to us his willingness to entertain.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                          Rated: PG-13                          93mins.