FILMS: Enough Said

FILMS: Enough Said

enoughsaid

A film starring two of televisions most iconic actors is sure to turn heads but perhaps that is all Nicole Holofcener’s new film, Enough Said, achieves. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini (in one of his final film appearances) star in this romantic comedy that fails to capatalise on the pairs acting strengths.

Eva (Louis-Dreyfus), a LA masseuse still reeling from a ten-year divorce, is facing the turmoil’s of her only daughter moving away to college. When dragged to an upscale party by her friend Sarah (Toni Collette) she meets Albert (Gandolfini), a man also divorced with a daughter moving away to college.

The pair instantly hit it off with their mutual agreement that everyone at the party is too hideous to date. Despite not looking like her typical bloke, Albert wins Eva over with his flirtatious wit and the two begin dating.

By chance, Eva also meets poet Marianne (Catherine Keener) at the same party and quickly develops an intimate friendship where they share stories of their disastrous past marriages.

As Marianne begins to divulge the details of her ex-husband it becomes blatantly obvious as to who she is talking about leaving Eva torn between her newly budding friendship with her potential love interest.

Despite a rather promising opening, this plot twist is almost the film’s dissention from Hollywood rom-com to Rob Schneider whacky-comedy just short of Eva turning to the camera and saying “Uh-oh!” when she realizes that Albert and Marianne where once married.

The cast does their best to generate life into the film (with the exception of the frightfully wooden Keener) however lazy writing evaporates any real sense of correlation between the characters ultimately leaving them hollow and superficial.

Bland exteriors and an overly beige colour palette extends this vapid sensibility with many of the characters seemingly floating through each scene in an incurious haze.

The only saving grace, as many might expect, is the impeccable acting ability of Gandolfini who plays the unorthodox loveable ‘slob’ to perfection.

Fans of the his masterful performance as Tony Soprano will rejoice in the sight of arguably televisions greatest leading man even as he relinquishes the persona of gritty mob-boss and trades it in for a sweet and affable TV Librarian.

It is however a bittersweet pill to swallow as one can’t help contemplate on the potential great roles that would have been more suited to his talents instead of this underdeveloped romantic lead.

Jack Hill

[1 Star]

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God is in the TV is an online music and culture fanzine founded in Cardiff by the editor Bill Cummings in 2003. GIITTV Bill has developed the site with the aid of a team of sub-editors and writers from across Britain, covering a wide range of music from unsigned and independent artists to major releases.