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| The Savages |
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| The Savages |
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 Rating: - Aren't We All 'Savages'?Writer/director Tamara Jenkins' "The Savages" is one of those rare coming-of-age films that avoids cliches and comes across wholly genuine. Jenkins understands that coming-of-age is not only for the young, bringing out in her characters what the average filmmaker would easily miss. Her directing skill is also profoundly exquisite - she does not merely capture her Oscar-nominated screenplay on celluloid but makes it transcend the screen. No High Definition necessary. Jon and Wendy Savage, portrayed by the aptly-celebrated Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney, are a brother and sister whose vast emotional distance is mirrored by their respective residences in Buffalo, N.Y. and Manhattan. This comfortable disparity is severed, however, when their equally distant father Leonard, played by Philip Bosco, succumbs to dementia brought on by Parkinson's disease soon after his long-time girlfriend passes away. Floating in and out of consciousness, he is no longer able to fend for himself, forcing his children to undertake the difficult task of transporting him from sunny Arizona to frigid Buffalo where they can more optimally watch over him in a private nursing home. The premise is hardly light, but Jenkins finds humor in the seemingly mundane. Jon is a philosophy professor consistently teaching new ways to open the mind yet could not be more closed-off to any viewpoints other than his own. Wendy divides her time between writing her "subversive, semi-autobiographical" stage play ... Read More Rating:  - Two great actors in an American classicI love these two actors, anyway, and this movie would be much duller without them. The subject matter is one which is pretty real to a lot of adults now: dealing with a fragile elder parent, and all the emotions that brings up. There's humor in it, and pathos. I loved it. Rating: - Exquisitely nuancedI put off seeing this for quite a while because I wasn't in the mood for a depressing film about dementia and death. I needn't have -- it's a wonderful film and enjoyable despite the subject matter. The writing and acting are uniformly exquisite; the film is funny without being overtly humorous and moving without being sentimental. The story develops via an episodic, almost poetic structure in which the characters' dysfunctionality and humanity is illustrated not so much through narrative as through beautifully realized individual moments. Many films have a few very subtle and well-realized scenes; this film is so laden with such moments there is scarcely room or necessity for plot development. And though I already admired Phillip Seymour Hoffman, this role certainly made me a confirmed fan. Rating: - Well doneYou really cannot ask for two better actors than Linney and Hoffman. Even if you think the content is not for you, these two are always wonderful to watch. A sad story, but very real-to-life, The Savages is a great study in family dynamics, growing older and growing more responsible whether you like it or are ready for it or not. Time to step up. Rating:  - Savagely DepressingThis is not a bad film if you look at it as a piece of film making. The acting is not bad, the directing is not bad and the over all film is not bad. It is also about an important subject. BUT... it is do depressing that I can't think of any reason that I would want to watch it again and if I would have know how depressing it was I wouldn't have watched it in the first place. Depressing. Browse for similar items by category:
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