Enough Said

Release Date: September 18th, 2013
Running Time: 93 minutes
Written & Directed by: Nicole Holofcener
Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette, Ben Falcone

Enough Said is a typical American romantic comedy in many respects, but also has elements that subvert some of the usual genre clichés. The more traditional aspects of the story are balanced with fresh details in such a way that both fans of the established Hollywood rom-com formula as well as moviegoers looking for something new are likely to be satisfied. As far as light entertainment goes, it's pretty good.

Among the conventional elements of the genre: a female protagonist (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who is pretty, funny, quirky, and single, with a best friend/sidekick who is even quirkier, but not single (married to a dorky, sex-crazed man). The funny, pretty protagonist meets a man (James Gandolfini), they date, and begin to fall in love. But the problem is that one of her clients (she's a massage therapist) is the ex of the man she's dating. She doesn't know it at first and becomes enraptured in her client's tales of how horrible the ex was, while conversely sharing some of her own stories about bad past relationships. So the two become friends at the same time that she and the man get more romantically involved. The man, in the meantime, likewise shares stories about his past relationship. So our funny, pretty protagonist hears horrible descriptions of her new female friend, by the female friend's ex (her new lover), while simultaneously hearing horrible descriptions of her new lover by his ex (her new female friend). You with me? Don't worry if you're not, just watch the movie and you'll see that it's really not that complicated. 

By the time our protagonist finds out the truth, she's already quite invested in both relationships, and becomes so overwhelmed with guilt that she doesn't know how to proceed. So she carries on with each, now knowingly, perpetuating the charade and fuelling her own guilt even more. Nothing too deep, and familiar enough so that we feel like we've almost heard this story before. But there are enough appealing comical nuances throughout to still keep it entertaining.

But the catch, the fresh twist that makes this movie even better than it might've otherwise been, is that the main characters are in their late forties and fifties. They're divorced, with mediocre careers, and have college-aged kids. And Gandolfini as the male lead is not the traditional romantic comedy, handsome sex symbol-type of Hollywood heartthrob. He's bald, bearded, and fat. This is Gandolfini's second-to-last film role before he passed away at age 51 from a sudden heart attack, and it's unlike anything we've seen him do before. In his very last role, The Drop, he played a small-time criminal—and while great in that movie, it's more familiar territory for the actor who for most will always be remembered as Tony Soprano. But here we see another side of him, and how great of an actor he was. He plays a regular, aging divorced guy. But he's a good guy. We can tell that by how much he loves his daughter, and how he is with Louis-Dreyfus's character. She's also great here in the lead role, and reminds us once again why she's one of the best comedic actresses of her time. And the two of them together have a nice kind of chemistry. It's largely believable, and we're rooting for them both. 

There are plenty of funny moments; not necessarily laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching kind of humour—but it's not that kind of comedy. Some cranked up silliness does occasionally come, usually by way of the husband (Ben Falcone) of Louis-Dreyfus's close friend (Toni Collette), but most of the time it's more subtle. And for the most part the scenes between the two leads work well, with plenty of awkward moments that effectively emulate real life.

These are two middle-aged people who haven't been in a serious relationship in a long time. They're filled with all the insecurities and doubts that people in their situations might have in reality. And likewise they exhibit the maturity that people their age would have (most of the time, although some of Louis-Dreyfus's behaviour in particular is arguably immature—but this is the conflict that drives the story). But it's refreshing to see a film that's not afraid to show aging, less-than-perfect, insecure characters in romantic scenarios. If the age of the leads was twenty years younger, with actors like Anne Hathaway and Ryan Gosling, for example, this movie would be just another of many formulaic Hollywood rom-coms. It might still have its moments, but as is it's much more charming and honest.
Rating (out of 5): ★★★½
• Nik Dobrinsky / Boy Drinks Ink
March 19th, 2015