Enough Said (2013)

Romantic comedies are predictable even for fans of the genre. Beautiful girl meets gorgeous guy. They're clearly made for each other. Invariably, they fall madly in love. But something or other gets in the way – a narrative obstacle that's serious enough to break them up but not drastic enough to keep them apart forever. Cue tears, misunderstandings, tantrums and more, until the inevitable happy ending trots along to wrap everything up neatly. It's all so painfully predictable that fans of romantic comedies now feel the need to qualify their taste in films: "I know they're terrible/predictable/silly/unrealistic/etc, but I like them anyway!" In other words, we're a long, long way away from the heyday of the romantic comedy in the 1930s and 1940s – when screwball ruled Hollywood and the films being produced were the finest in any genre.

Fortunately, every once in a while, films like writer-director Nicole Holofcener's Enough Said happen along – films so warmly romantic, funny and realistic (after a fashion) that they prove, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that there's life, quality and potential yet in a tired genre.

Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a divorced massage therapist about to send her grown-up daughter off to college. She meets Al (James Gandolfini) at a party, and strikes up a sweet, tender relationship with him – without realising that her newest client Marianne (Catherine Keener) is Al's bitter ex-wife. Instead of coming clean when she first makes the connection, Eva remains friends with Marianne, picking up details about Al's greatest failings and foibles along the way.

A sillier, more farcical version of Enough Said could easily have been made – one that plays up the more ridiculous nature of this unusual love triangle: one side love, one side hate, one side initially blissful ignorance (on poor Al's part, at least). It would have, invariably, wound up on the ever-growing trash-heap of today's rom-coms: bland, silly, forgettable.

Instead, Holofcener has crafted something far finer and wiser: Enough Said is a sunny, charming comedy of manners, deception and relationships that cuts surprisingly deep. The film is startlingly powerful as an examination of the ebb and flow of a relationship: the way in which it can shift, deepen and curdle with the simplest of gestures. Eva and Al's courtship unfolds in the gently awkward way real relationships do, as they test each other's comfort zones and senses of humour. The connection between their characters feels genuine and not forced.

There are no outrageous, contrived twists breaking Eva and Al up: it's all on Eva, as she stumbles through her awkward friendship with Marianne towards inevitable disaster. Eva's slow, agonising betrayal of Al's trust – for that is what it is – is treated with maturity and intelligence: it's something we can imagine ourselves doing in her situation, a complication wrought by human curiosity and error rather than the typically ludicrous twists that break couples up in more traditional rom-coms.

Louis-Dreyfus, radiating charm and sunshine, is a huge reason why Holofcener's film works as well as it does. She makes Eva enormously sympathetic without ever suggesting that she is anything but a normal human being with her own pile of issues to sort through. In Louis-Dreyfus' skillful hands, watching Eva puzzle through her feelings towards Al in light of Marianne's complaints proves enlightening rather than ali

Fmovies: first of all, i would like to say that i do miss James Gandolfini. his sudden past away indeed made me feel very regretful and sad. this film is perhaps his last swan song but like always sang in a such nice and natural way, making this film a very heart warming film that has become rare and rare in recent years. this film also re-telling us what could be called or categorized as a 'comedy', a 'good' and a 'very good' comedy. what i like most is that when you watched this film, it gave you a very mature, quite realistically down-to-earth feeling. of course, the coincidental relationships between and among these modern day couples or divorcées somehow felt not quite possible, yet at the same time, it also allow you to accept it to be happened possibly. the casting job was top notched, all of them were convincing and likable. there's nothing i could be picky to criticize or cursed, because it's such a nice film that left a very nice after taste when it ended. a very very lovely romantic comedy and most of all, a REAL comedy.

Earlier this year we lost James Gandolfini. Although he already left a rich legacy with The Sopranos, it felt like he still had more to give us. I saw an interview with Julia Louis-Dreyfus yesterday and while she put on a brave face, when asked about Gandolfini, you could tell how deeply saddened he was by his death. Good thing that Enough Said is such a joyous and light- hearted film despite inevitably destined to be associated with his death. I'm a fan of The Sopranos and I've never really watched or liked Seinfeld, but it's a genius idea to pair these two actors up in such off-type roles. There was a huge goofy grin on my face when they were on screen together. They shed those past screen images with surprising ease and reveal effortless human beings. That's the beauty in their performances. It's incredibly funny at times and quietly poignant in others. But it's a gentle film in its very casual visual approach and lack of emotionally explosive scenes. Unfortunately the subplots really bog the film down. They don't add to the film's point and are just not up to the same quality. The daughter subplot is the only one close but it wasn't focused enough. However, Enough Said is still a very charming film with a mature look at adult love and second chances.

7/10

Enough Said fmovies. 'ENOUGH SAID': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five) James Gandolfini (in one of his last film roles) co-stars with Julia Louis-Dreyfus in this romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Nicole Holofcener. Holofcener also helmed such critically acclaimed movies as 2010's 'PLEASE GIVE', 2006's 'FRIENDS WITH MONEY' and 2001's 'LOVELY & AMAZING'. This film also co-stars Catherine Keener (a usual player in Holofcener's movies), Toni Collette and Ben Falcone. I think it's one of Gandolfini's best and most likable performances and Louis-Dreyfus has never been better or more lovable as well. Fans of honest and real romantic comedies should be more than pleased.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as Eva, a divorced massage therapist who is not looking forward to her daughter, Ellen (Tracey Fairaway), going away to college. She goes to a party with her friend Sarah (Collette), and Sarah's husband Will (Falcone), and meets Albert (Gandolfini). Albert is a divorced father who's also not looking forward to his daughter, Tess (Eve Hewson), moving away for school. Eva and Albert hit it off and begin dating, despite the fact that Eva is not physically attracted to Albert (due to him being overweight). Eva also starts giving massages to a client she met at the party as well, named Marianne (Keener). The two become friends and Marianne tells Eva a bunch of horror stories about her ex-husband. When Eva learns that her ex is Albert things become complicated as she doesn't know how to tell Albert or Marianne that she knows the other.

The film is funny but in a very real way; I was really impressed with how much the movie felt so true to life. It has a lot to say about attraction and relationships, as well as family and divorce. Eva and Albert's relationship is the driving point of the film and the two lead performances really make the whole thing work. Gandolfini is once again awkward and kind of crude but ultimately very lovable. It's Louis-Dreyfus that really surprised me though. On 'SEINFELD' she was so self centered and unlikeable (like all of the characters on that show, except for Kramer) so it's really refreshing to see her be so adorable. She's really sweet and so is this film; Holofcener gives the movie the perfect touch once again and proves why she's an awesome indie film director. I really liked this movie and think most others will too.

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gmBnRGZV8o

ENOUGH SAID is quite simply wonderful. Its plot is straightforward: a middle-aged woman (Julia-Louis Dreyfus) falls in love with a divorced middle-aged man (James Gandolfini). However the course of true love never runs smoothly, as the woman also becomes friends with the man's ex-wife. This ultimately leads to trouble. Within that straightforward plot, director Nicole Holofcener obtains two absolutely wonderful central performances. Dreyfus doesn't want to fall in love, yet finds herself inexorably drawn towards Gandolfini's shy yet bear-like personality. Physically imposing, he has a basic insecurity both about himself and his relationship with the two women in his life, his ex-wife and his daughter (Eve Hewson). Photographed amid the suburban sprawl of California, Holofcener explores the cracks underlying life behind the closed doors and immaculately manicured gardens. While the plot might seem familiar, the performances redeem the film, which is truly bitter- sweet and spell-binding. This was Gandolfini's last film before his untimely death; it stands as a fitting epitaph to a wonderful actor.

The unusual thing about this story is that it is about a woman between two people; not two lovers as one might expect but her boyfriend and his ex wife with whom they are friends and this ex wife cannot stop dishing the former husband her current friend is dating.

Another dilemma this woman is facing is the fact that her current boyfriend whom she has come to really like, is 'flabby' as she refers to him and on this matter I am pleased that Hollywood is raising this issue. Do overweight people deserve to be loved? This woman clearly was very hesitant due to the fact that he is overweight and could not fully express her affection becoming torn in the process between the poison spouted by his ex wife as well as expecting her circle to approve of him.

Interesting, intelligent and heart warming would perhaps be a fitting finale to the great James Gandolfini.