What happens when a woman dates a man, while also becoming friends with his ex-wife? You get the very funny movie, Enough Said. Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Toni Collette, Catherine Keener, Ben Falcone and the late James Gandolfini, Enough Said is a smart romantic comedy about finding love a second time. Watch the trailer after the jump and then read my review.
Calling this a romantic is an understatement. This is a romantic comedy that is actually good. It has all the things you would expect from a romantic comedy. But everything is done so well that it feels fresh, not repetitive. Director Nicole Holofcener has written a tight script that keeps the story moving while still letting the characters develop in interesting ways.
And it is funny. Really funny. Louis-Dreyfus as Eva and Gandolfini as Albert have incredible chemistry. Gandolfini delivers some amazing, deadpan one-liners and Louis-Dreyfus matches them with equally entertaining facial expressions. Who would have thought Tony Soprano and Elaine Benes would be such a great couple?
I will say, knowing that Gandolfini had passed earlier in the year did linger in the back of my mind while I watched. He is so good in this movie, and it’s sad to think he won’t get the opportunity to do other movies like this.
The rest of the cast is pretty good too, but they are all clearly in support of the two stars. Albert and Eva will have a date which brings tons of laughs, then they will part and Eva will tell her daughter Ellen (Tracey Fairaway), her best friend Sarah (Toni Collette) or Albert’s ex-wife Marianne (Catherine Keener). The script does a good job of keeping the characters straight and they are all both funny and considerate of Eva’s troubles.
Louis-Dreyfus and Collette have especially good chemistry. It is clear Sarah is having her own tension in her marriage to Will (Ben Falcone) but she does everything she can to help her friend. Which results in some funny exchanges, especially when Sarah has trouble with her maid.
There is a strange sub-plot involving Eva, her daughter and her daughter’s friend that was both unnecessary and awkward. Eva is struggling to adjust to her daughter moving away for school, but the way she goes about it is weird. These scenes still had some jokes, but didn’t really fit Eva’s character or the way the rest of the movie was flowing.
What really sold me on this film though, was the final scene. I won’t spoil anything, but ending a romantic-comedy this way is difficult and proof of the skill in the script and the acting. It is not the standard happy ending, but it is better than that. And now knowing that Gandolfini is not here, it gives his whole life a peaceful conclusion.
When this movie comes out on September 18, I hope it does well at the box office. Even though it is a small movie, it is very entertaining and deserves an audience. I highly recommend Enough Said. You won’t be disappointed.
Jbenny.com 