Enough Said Review
RYAN: This is the latest film from writer/director Nicole Holofcener starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini. It’s a rom com and I’m a fan of this auteur and this is my favorite of her films so far. It’s the closest I could ever personally identify with her characters, because I’m a divorced single mother with a child going off to college.
CHUCK: [laughs’ Right.
RYAN: But also, Julia’s performance is outstanding and it’s bittersweet seeing James.
CHUCK: I agree. I’m not familiar with this director’s work, aside from possibly an episode of Sex and the City which you’ve mentioned she directed a bit of. Julia was refreshing and wonderful. It was great seeing her outside of the broad comedy she does on TV. She’s brilliant at all of it but here she’s contrasting, playing a restrained woman.
RYAN: She played with a lot of subtlety and said a lot with a glance or a lip curl. You could read all she was feeling.
CHUCK: It’s a really delicate performance. As far as James, I loved him in The Sopranos but, to his credit, I really didn’t think of that at all here.
RYAN: I also really bought him as this character. I didn’t even remember he’s gone until about three-quarters of the way through when it kinda hits you.
CHUCK: Same with me!
RYAN: He’s so good and present in this character that when you remember, it’s a sad realization.
CHUCK: Absolutely. I wonder when the point was because the same thing happened to me about three-quarters of the way through. We’re never gonna get this from him again.
RYAN: He has one more new movie coming out next year but that would be the last.
CHUCK: This movie also features Catherine Keener who looks great.
RYAN: Nicole has put her in all of her movies. She’s the Johnny Depp to her Tim Burton.
CHUCK: She’s her muse.
RYAN: They’re BFFs or something. She’s great in this.
CHUCK: There’s also Toni Collette who I love.
RYAN: Love her. She didn’t have a huge part but she’s always a delight.
CHUCK: Ben Falcone played her husband.
RYAN: And in real life he plays Melissa McCarthy’s hubby.
CHUCK: Nice one.
RYAN: Thanks. It’s a good ensemble cast but what I love most about it is the writing which is so natural that it’s almost like watching a reality show. It’s so true to what mid-life dating is like; all the complexities of relationships so well detailed.
CHUCK: And it’s how people actually talk to one another. There’s authentic communication going on. No lines were contrived. The trailers, however, do make this look more like a comedy.
RYAN: I am noticing a trend with a lot of rom coms that are more dramedy, they don’t really sell the drama in the previews.
CHUCK: I wasn’t too excited about this but it’s more real and a lot better than I expected. Julia is pigeonholed to the small screen and she is one of TV’s best actresses. How many Emmys has she won? Seeing her like this was really nice.
RYAN: I love that she got to show more of her range in this film. And I like how the set design in each home comments on the characters who live in them.
CHUCK: I loved the fantasy LA it created with the Priuses and the speed bumps in the suburbs, everyone taking off their shoes and socks. I’m sure there are parts of LA really like that.
RYAN: It’s the perfect length at 90 minutes and while it could be enjoyed at home as a smaller relationship movie, there’s no regrets spending money on this one at the box office. It’s a good date movie and overall brilliant relationship study.
