Reviews of Movies, TV shows & metro Detroit Restaurants

Short movie & TV show reviews and metro Detroit restaurant reviews

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Movie Review: "Enough Said" (2013)



Enough Said is a wonderful, sweet, funny movie. It was written & directed by Nicole Holofcener and stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus & the late, great James Gandolfini in one of his final roles.

Eva (played by Dreyfus) is a single mom working as a masseuse who's been divorced for some time. She goes to a party with her married friends Will (played by Ben Falcone) & Sarah (played by Toni Collette) where she meets two people who become important in her life, Marianne (played by Catherine Keener) & Albert (played by Gandolfini). Marianne becomes one of her clients & friends and she starts to date Albert (who is also divorced with a daughter). And Marianne & Albert are interestingly connected...they are divorced from each other. This is where it becomes interesting...

Albert is a teddy bear of a man who has been deeply bruised by his failed marriage and Eva is a quirky, sarcastically funny woman. They are both looking to be loved and to love. The chemistry they feel is almost immediate. Eva is a little hesitant at first due to Albert's weight & physical appearance. But his humor & overall niceness wins her over and she truly begins to love him.

In the meantime, Eva is spending more & more time with Marianne and they become very good friends. As a result of their conversations (Marianne has no use for & bad mouths her ex-husband, who Eva doesn't know is Albert quite yet), Eva's relationship with Albert becomes strained. Fortunately, this doesn't follow a predictable path as so many romantic comedies do...

I'm writing this review almost immediately after seeing it (unlike many others that I write) because this move is so relatable. I've done a fair amount of dating (and have yet to find the right person for me) and know what it's like to go through what Albert & Eva experience...the sometimes wonderful chemistry that can be felt on a first date, some of the awkwardness of getting to know each other, etc. This movie portrays "adult" dating as well as any I've seen, if not the best.

Of course it IS still a movie, but it's a wonderful movie, one that I enjoyed thoroughly. It is mostly light-hearted & witty with great dialogue. And the chemistry between Gandolfini & Dreyfus is amazing, some of the best I've seen (Billy Crystal & Meg Ryan come to mind). They play off of each other so well and Gandolfini in particular does such a great job playing this gentle teddy bear of a man. I was also somewhat saddened by this movie simply knowing that I am never going to see Gandolfini again on screen. At least he left this as his final performance (I know he had others in the work, but I will remember this role as his final role with his finest role of course being his portrayal of Tony Soprano). Dreyfus also turns in one of her best performances playing the neurotic, quirky yet sexy Eva perfectly. I cannot imagine another actress playing this part, it was written for her.


It's a shame that this movie was not nominated for a single Oscar, but I certainly enjoyed it...9.0/10 stars

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