PLEASE GIVE
CAROLINE: Please Give is the new movie from one of my favorite directors, Nicole Holofcener, who directed Friends With Money a few years back. As with all of her films, it stars Catherine Keener, who we love.
RYAN: This is definitely my favorite movie of Nicole Holofcener’s that I’ve seen. It’s a perfect mixture of both funny and sad, and it’s just so real.
CAROLINE: I love that about her movies; they’re all very true-to-life and about real-seeming people. I love that this one takes place in NYC too. And she always has one or two loathsome characters, which is kind of fun. Even the “hero” is flawed here too.
RYAN: Totally. I love that she has characters who do stuff you would never do, but you definitely know someone who would. There’s always drama in her movies, but very realistic drama. You’re like, “I’d never be friends with someone like that”… but LBH, we all probably are.
CAROLINE: I’d call this movie a dramedy. It’s got some sad and pretty appalling scenarios, but it also made us laugh out loud several times. Some of the stuff Amanda Peet’s character does and says is just so shocking and/or pathetic that you can’t help but laugh.
RYAN: The dialogue is so well written. I found myself thinking I would enjoy this equally as a play on Broadway.
CAROLINE: Her movies are pretty small and heavy on character, so there’s definitely a play-like quality here. Let’s break down the cast, shall we? Catherine Keener is the lead, of course, and Kevin Corrigan has a tiny part. He was in Nicole Holofcener’s first movie, Walking and Talking. Then there’s Amanda Peet and Rebecca Hall as sisters, and Rebecca has never looked more homely.
RYAN: She really uglied up for this role. I don’t think she’s wearing a trace of makeup. And Amanda Peet is positively orange throughout.
CAROLINE: But she’s supposed to be; it’s part of her character. Finally, there’s Oliver Platt as Catherine Keener’s husband. He is large and in charge these days. They have a teenage daughter who’s kinda homely, and they’re waiting for their elderly neighbor to die so they can buy her apartment and expand into it.
RYAN: I love that the movie covers so many generations – the parents in their 40s, the teen girl, the old lady, her grand-daughters in their 20s or 30s. It touches on topics that affect us at different points in our lives like dating, career, marriage, death, infidelity. It covers a lot of ground. There’s even a little cancer thrown in there, which we normally wouldn’t like; but it works here.
CAROLINE: It’s a very New York/tri-state area movie. It’s got a lot of references that we appreciated that might not resonate as much for people in other parts of the country. But they can get over it.
— BOTTOM LINE —
CAROLINE: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, though I don’t think it’s for everyone. Nicole Holofcener’s movies are small and they don’t necessarily warrant a big screen viewing, but I’d still recommend it for those who care.
RYAN: You would be so psyched to catch this movie on cable. It’s got a quirky, interesting story, and it’s good entertainment.
CAROLINE: There’s no pretense with her movies. It’s like, “This is a story about these people’s lives, and you’ll either watch and enjoy or you won’t.” Done and done. And we promise – the opening montage in this movie is like nothing you’ve seen before!
— RATING —
