Enough Said (2013) [Blu-ray]
Comedy | Drama | Romance

James Gandolfini, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Catherine Keener shine in this heartwarming comedy that A.O. Scott of The New York Times calls "a small miracle of a movie." Divorced mom Eva (Louis-Dreyfus) may be falling for Albert (Gandolfini), a sweet, funny, like-minded divorcee. But as their relationship blossoms, Eva befriends Marianne (Keener), who's always complaining about her ex-husband. When Eva realizes that Albert is the target of Marianne's rants, she begins to question her own perceptions about first impressions and second chances.

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

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman on January 14, 2014 -- Will James Gandolfini be the latest recipient of a posthumous Academy Award nomination when the lists are read in just a couple of days for the upcoming fęte? The Academy Awards haven't been shy about recognizing deceased performers and behind the scenes craftsmen from literally the first year the statuettes were handed out, when writer Gerald Duffy received a nomination for The Private Life of Helen of Troy. Through the ensuing years, some rather well known names have received posthumous trophies, names as iconic as Walt Disney (for Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, available on Blu-ray in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh), Peter Finch for Network, cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth for Tess, and more recently Heath Ledger (in the category in which Gandolfini is most likely to appear, Best Supporting Actor) for The Dark Knight. Many other less generally known names have received at least nominations through the years, and it might be stated that some of them anyway were what might be termed "career recognition", not necessarily an indication of absolutely outstanding work for whatever film actually brought them their acknowledgement. That is probably the case should Gandolfini be among the quintet of actors named in the Supporting category, for his genial work in Enough Said, a rom-com so low key as to seemingly be on life support some of the time, doesn't really stretch the actor in any meaningful way. Gandolfini is wonderfully rumpled and lived in in the role, but it's hardly the "showy" kind of performance that generally takes home the trophy. Still, my hunch is Gandolfini will be recognized with at least a nomination, if only because his untimely death so shocked a community where he was evidently universally loved and admired. The film itself—well, that's a somewhat more mixed bag.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Eva, a middle aged masseuse who has been divorced for around ten years and is facing the incipient departure of her college aged daughter Ellen (Tracey Fairaway). Eva accompanies her married friends Sarah (Toni Collette) and Will (Ben Falcone), where almost immediately she's more or less deposited next to a woman she's never met, a self-described poet named Marianne (Catherine Keener). Later, she complains to Will that absolutely none of the men at the party have captured her fancy, a statement that Will rather insensitively repeats to two new (male) arrivals at the party, one of whom is Albert (James Gandolfini). Eva is obviously embarrassed, but Albert helps her to save grace in a rather unlikely way by telling Eva there are no women there that he finds attractive. And so a rather odd romance begins to blossom.

I'm well aware that Enough Said has been something of a critics' darling this past year, reaping a rather surprisingly consistent amount of praise since its release. Perhaps I'm cynical (well, there's probably no perhaps about it), but my personal opinion is that at least some of the accolades being heaped upon the film stem from the shock of Gandolfini's death. Some readers may be ready to throw brickbats my way (get in line, please, and also realize it's a very long line), but I'd argue for a bit of perspective on both the pleasures and pitfalls Enough Said provides. A few theatrical reviewers have (rightly in my opinion) pointed out the shallowness of the script, as well as the absolutely annoying second act denouement that hinges on one of those coincidental conceits that only ever takes place in films. A lot of the dialogue is awkward and stilted, and not always only when it's supposed to be. The film has a proto-indie spirit which is okay as far as it goes, but when you have the considerable (though arguably small screen) star wattage of Louis-Dreyfus and Gandolfini, both bringing "television baggage" along with them whether or not they want to, there's a certain disconnect between the material and the performers.

The saving grace here is, ironically enough, the overall heartfelt tone of the piece, which helps to elevate what are essentially non demanding performances from the stars. Louis-Dreyfus has her typical ebullient charm, even if one never quite believes her angst and fussiness. Gandolfini is, as mentioned above, wonderfully disheveled and natural, but Albert never really makes much of an impression, at least until a major showdown toward the end of the film, something Gandolfini and Louis-Dreyfus play extremely well. Keener is fine in a somewhat underwritten part that is basically there only to provide a supposed reveal that most students of Screenwriting 101 will see coming long before it actually arrives. Collette and Falcone are fun in what are basically glorified cameos.

Nicole Holofcener is obviously a talented writer-director, as films like Walking and Talking, Lovely and Amazing and Friends With Money have already proven. But she is (to my mind, anyway) still finding her voice, especially in the writing department. A lot of what ails Enough Said could have been ameliorated with (ironically enough) better dialogue. The film will always be remembered as Gandolfini's swan song, though my hunch is few will remember it for much else in the long run.

Don't get me wrong—Enough Said is a perfectly sweet little film, and it's actually rather touching at several key moments. But I just don't think it's the Second Coming of rom-coms that quite a few other critics evidently feel it is. Louis- Dreyfus and Gandolfini make for a charismatic and easily accessible (and lovable) couple, but Holofcener's writing is still somewhat problematic, especially in a completely predictable and frankly off putting development about halfway through the film that may make even those who have loved the movie up to that point throw up their hands in annoyance if not outright disappointment. Still, it's a pleasure to see Gandolfini especially playing against (perceived) type, and though Enough Said may be too low key to warrant much other consideration, my hunch is there's a Best Supporting Actor nomination about to be added to Gandolfini's still untimely epitaph. Recommended.

[CSW] -2.8- This movie was so real that it didn't feel scripted. It seemed natural. This is how people talk and live. People have faults. People make mistakes in judgments. People are funny. You really should see this if you care for someone who is not perfect and you don't know how to handle it. In one word, this movie is "human." They sure look at the minutia of life in this low-key comedy about two middle-aged divorcees who meet and take a liking to each other. Although entraining and impossible to skip through any part of it, it seemed to get bogged down in the neurotic minutia. I really began to feel sorry for all the characters, the leads especially, which kind of took some of the humor out of it. I guess I was hoping for a happier movie.
[V4.5-A4.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.


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