Something's Gotta Give
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Movie Reviews of Something's Gotta Give
Movie Review: A Delightful Film Desperately In Search of a Better Title
Summary: 5 Stars
SEE THIS FILM IF YOU LIKE TRULY FUNNY ROMANTIC COMEDIES THAT ACTUALLY HAVE A MEANINGFUL STORYLINE. My wife was a little reluctant to see this movie given her lack of appreciation for the sort of roles in which Jack Nicholson often stars, but the favorable reviews, potentially appealing subject matter and my desire to see this film overcame her objections and we both enjoyed it immensely. (This was definitely his best performance since AS GOOD AS IT GETS.) Usually I have no trouble finding some meaningless moments during a movie to get the free soda and popcorn refills or take a bathroom break, but the action here was so constant that I was afraid that I would miss something meaningful to the storyline if I left the theater for a few minutes.The plot is really simple. Erica Barry is a famous playwright in her midfifties who has reacted to her divorce by rededicating herself to her work and efforts at self improvement and settled into a routine that doesn't leave time to contemplate the absence of a male in her life. Marin (Amanda Peet) is her daughter (early thirties) who unbeknownst to Erica has just initiated a relationship with Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson), a very successful sixty-three year old businessman and famous bachelor/womanizer. When Harry and Erica unexpectedly meet at Erica's retreat in the Hamptons, an atmosphere of hostility between them develops almost instantly. That evening, Erica saves Harry's life following his heart attack and meets an admirer in Harry's ER physician, Dr. Julian Mercer (Keanu Reeves), who has seen every play that she has ever written. In the interests of symmetry, Julian is thirty-four years old, so we have the potential for two May/November affairs and all the potential situations that could arise. Just to make it more interesting, Frances McDormand does a wonderful job of providing commentary as Zoe, Erica's sister and a women's studies professor at Columbia University. But don't jump to conclusions, when Erica is forced to housesit with the convalescing Harry, they both discover that maybe their preconceptions about each other need to be revised.
This is a great movie because Director Nancy Meyers gets the best out of the script and the cast. The timing is near perfect. You laugh when they are crying, and shed tears when things go well for them. In fact, the longer a crying jag of Erica's lasted, the more the audience where we attended laughed hysterically. Everything is clichéd, but these are clichés because they are so true to life and so recognizable, not because they are old and tired. Love vs. lust, the passion of youth vs. the experience and tenderness of age, commitment vs. freedom, order vs. spontaneity, they are all part of this story and examined with true feeling and insight.
And while the outcome seems predictable, there are enough twists of the plot to keep your interest. This is the sort of humor not dependent on the shock value of profanity, and while the movie is much longer (two hours ) than usual for a romantic comedy, the time passes quickly. And while the denouement was certainly predictable, it managed to be a little bittersweet rather than having the saccharine quality of so many films of this genre.
Tucker Andersen
Movie Review: Refreshing to see the guy feel inadequate for a change
Summary: 5 Stars
Jack Nicholson portrayed 63 year-old Harry Sanborn, owner of a rap record company, who only dates younger women (yes, fiction can mirror the truth). Diane Keaton portrayed Erica Barry, a famous playwright who has been divorced for a few years and never thought she would be involved with another man again.
Sanborn is dating much younger Marin Barry (Amanda Peet), Erica's daughter, and the two opt for two days of nooky at her mother's house in The Hamptons. When Erica and her other daughter stumble upon Sanborn in his boxers raiding the fridge, they're surprised to learn that this much older guy is Marin's boyfriend. Thus begins the adventure.
After Harry and Marin go into the bedroom for a little fun, Harry suffers a heart attack. He's ordered to take it easy for a while and his doctor, Dr. Julian Mercer (Keanu Reeves) orders him to stay in the vicinity of the hospital in order to keep tabs on him. Erica's house just so happens to be in the vicinity.
While Marin enjoys the nightlife, Harry recoups at her mother's house and, while sitting around, has nothing better to do than strike up conversation with Erica. They discover they are curious to know more about the other but just won't admit to it. The daughter sees the chemistry and gets out of the way (although she realizes that Harry broke up with her and not the other way around).
In the meantime, much younger Dr. Mercer takes an interest in Erica and she goes from a lonely divorcee to an older woman in the middle of two mens' affection (and I think Reeves was charming in his role).
Like another reviewer, I was thrown for a loop when it seemed that Harry and Erica were getting along great and then, boom, she's all of a sudden pissed at him because she sees him in a restaurant with another woman (whom he, typically, refers to as a "friend").
He admits that he's not a good "boyfriend" and Erica is devastated. She channels her hurt by sobbing uncontrollably and completing her autobiographical play, basing it on her experiences with Harry - which he doesn't find out about until a (young) actress he's wining and dining explains the premise. Feeling insulted, he confronts Erica, explaining that "...schmucks are people, too" and she wants to go forward as friends.
Fast forward: Harry retires to the Caribbean for a whole 2 weeks and seeks out his former girlfriends who inform him what kind of a jerk he's been to them. He travels the farthest to Paris to see Erica (remembering her favorite resturant there) and just when you think they might end up together, in comes Dr. Mercer who proposes. Erica accepts and one thinks that they may end up together and leave Harry in the cold. Not so.
How Dr. Mercer got out of the way was a little too easy (more conflict?) but Harry and Erica wound up together (and married) after all.
And Diane Keaton parle français très bien (and from what I could hear on my TV, Jack ain't too shabby himself).
Refreshing premise that proves women aren't obliged to sit at home and roll up into a ball for the remainder of eternity just because they're over 25.
Movie Review: I love this movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
I really like the aging Diane Keaton ever so much more than I did the Annie Hall-ish, squirley younger Keaton with her annoying mannerisms. She is at her best in this laugh out loud (and sob out loud, as well) film. In fact, "Something's Gotta Give" is also a superb vehicle for the talent of Jack Nicholson. Were Keaton and Nicholson ever a real-life couple? I ask because there is such chemistry at work between the two!
Real life--yes, that area where older men--wrinkled, weightier, and richer, date young women who still have dew on their skins. As Amanda Peet's character reminds him: "You don't date women over 30." The older (and larger) he is, the sillier he looks with these women. And intimacy? Do those young women really--well, you know.
Am I saying that older men are repugnant? No, of course not, but the movie itself makes my point. Where is the comfort level for a couple in a relationship? Where is a real sharing of life? With the couple of similar ages, similar life styles, similar experiences, or the relationship in which one is trying to stay young and the other is seeking what?--riches, a good time, what?
Jack's character Harry has never been in love and finds himself in a dither concerning what it might mean for his life. Give up those under-30's? For a woman his age? The initial idea of kissing Erica's (Keaton) less dewy mouth makes his face screw all up. Enter Keanu Reeves, a doctor who treats Jack's heart attack and becomes part of the triangle. The doctor has long admired Erica's talent as a very successful playwright, thoroughly familiar with her work. He is smitten.
Reversing the older man/younger woman scenario to older woman/younger man is quite interesting. Keaton plays it for all it's worth. Reeve is an excellent casting choice here in making this combination work. (But Demi and Ashton have already shown us that.)
When Harry meets Erica at her house on the shore (outside New York), he is there with her daughter, one of those dewy younger women, for their first-time experience. A heart attack stops the action, setting up a scenario for him to get to know a woman his age. Their sex scene (which reveals very little) is one of the two funniest sex scenes I've ever seen. (The other was Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson trying to imitate early television scenes in which one foot is always on the floor.) The scene is also poignant.
When Harry returns to the city, Keaton believes they actually have something. When she sees him out with one of the dew creatures, she is heart-broken. I sobbed with her for the next few scenes (and every time I watch the movie again). Enter the doctor to mend her broken heart.
Paris is the scene of reconciliation. Ah, Paris, that city of romance. The one false note of the film is Keanu's reaction to Harry and Erica.
"Something's Gotta Give" is an excellent film which addresses issues of an aging population seeking love. Romance? You bet! Reconciliation? Oh yes! But first, something's gotta give!
Movie Review: Turtlenecks And Sea Shells
Summary: 5 Stars
The storyline for this refreshingly delightful and enjoyable film is quite a nice change of pace. People of a certain age falling in love with someone of or around the right age. The older guy/younger woman thing is turned on it's ear in this film, which was written by Nancy Meyers, she who previously gave us, with her ex-husband Charles, "What Women Want", "Baby Boom", and both of the "Father Of Th Bride" films. Jack Nicholson stars as Harry Sanborn, a 63 year old a socialite who owns ten companies and the second biggest hip hop label. He is famous for being a bachelor, a man who seems to not date women over 30. His latest conquest is Marin, played by Amanda Peet. The two plan on a weekend getaway at her mom's beach house in the Hamptons. Lo and behold, mom, Erica, comes home and everything turns topsy turvy when Harry suffers a heart attack and ends up stayig with Erica while he gets better. What happens is a man coming to realize that he can love, and be attracted to, an older woman. Diane Keaton, who is radiant in this film, is just a treasure. At 57, although it is never made clear of her character's age, since it is only mentioned that she is over 50, she is who she is and is happy with it. She is so wonderful in this film, and she lights up every moment she is in. Thankfully, she is in almost every frame. She has also never looked better. I am young, and I can see where someone younger like Keanu's character(who is a lot older than me)would fall for someone older like Keaton. She gives out such an adorable charm and strong personality, that it would be easy to see why she would be the target of two men. Complicating matters is Keanu Reeves, who plays Harry's young doctor who has designs on Ms. Keaton himself. Amanda Peet, and Frances McDormand, who plays Keaton's sister, do well, but they(especially McDormand)fall out of the loop not long into the film. Nicholson is Nicholson. He is a master and he does what he does with the charm and finesse we would expect. Our two leads are what make this film work. It is solidly written with an intelligent hand and our two stars make it rise to another level that it would never of achieved if it were into someone elses' hands. The dialogue is sharp and the banter between the two is top of the line. The movie does get a little overdone once it starts to reach the 2 hour mark. It is a tad long and could of easily of wrapped up sooner than it did. Still, it does not mar what it is a warm and hilarious and romantic film. The movie is beautifully shot. It has a very warm, serene like look and feel to it. Some of the plot turns and outcomes can be expected and seen long before it happens, but it doesn't diminish the effect or the outcome at all. It is a movie that shows that age means nothing when it comes to love and it can come and surprise you when you least expect it. Snd sometimes, that's when it's the best.Movie Review: There may be some snow on the roof....
Summary: 5 Stars
What's not to enjoy? The script has Snap!, Crackle!, and Pop! Also several moments of genuine tenderness as well as natural hilarity. As ably directed by Nancy Meyers whose previous work in What Women Want is also first-rate, the cast is excellent and Diane Keaton's Academy Award nomination for best actress (as Erica Barry) in a leading role was well-deserved. I also expected a nomination for Jack Nicholson as Harry Sanborn. The supporting cast is also fine, notably Frances McDormand (Zoe Barry) and Keanu Reeves (Julian Mercer). The core situation is that the wealthy and charming Harry is dating (at least for the moment) Erica's daughter Marin (Amanda Peet) and accompanies her for a weekend in the Hamptons where her divorcee mother (a successful playwright) has a lovely oceanside home. Of course, Erica and her sister Zoe appear unexpectedly. As a result of his hedonistic lifestyle, Harry suffers a heart attack unrelated to Erica. After emergency care by Julian, he is released but must reside nearby during the recovery period. Guess where? Of course, he and Erica fall in love. Meanwhile, prior to Harry's appearance in his life, Julian had become strongly attracted to Erica...not to her daughter. Apparently she has had no romance in her life since the divorce and is currently hard at work on a new play which is not going very well. Harry eventually becomes well enough to return to Manhattan. And then....
Eventually, both Harry and Erica must make very difficult choices. It would be a disservice to those who have not as yet seen this film to explain what those decisions prove to be. However, I feel free to say that the decisions are juxtaposed very effectively with various humorous incidents, a few of which are featured in the trailer shown in theaters. Yes, this is a comedy but it also has some attitude. On occasion, an edge. There are implications to the lives which the two seniors have led, prior to their meeting. The resolutions of various conflicts (both major and minor) are entirely plausible, except -- in my opinion -- for one which involves Erica and Julian. See this entertaining, sometimes serious film and then reach your own conclusions.
The special features provided with the DVD include a "Commentary" by director Nancy Meyers, producer Bruce Brock, and actress Diane Keaton, another "Commentary" by director Nancy Meyers and actor Jack Nicholson, a "Hamptons House Set Tour" with Amanda Peet, and "Harry Sings Karaoke to Erica" (a deleted scene). For whatever reasons, Keaton chose not to contribute much but Nicholson did and, as always, is charming, articulate, and generous. Contrary to his persona in so many films, Nicholson is renowned among his film colleagues for the same endearing qualities which are evident in one of the commentaries.