Academy Award winnerÂ(r) Philip Seymour Hoffman* and Academy AwardÂ(r) nominee Laura Linney** deliver unforgettable performances in this hilarious coming-of-middle age story from OscarÂ(r) -nominated writer / director Tamara Jenkins***. Until recently, all John and Wendy Savage (Hoffman, Linney) had in common were a lousy childhood and a few strands of DNA. But after years of drifting apart, they're forced to band together to care for the elderly, cantankerous father who made their formative "challenging." In the process, both of these aimless, perpetually adolescent fortysomethings may just, at long last, have to grow up! *2005: Best Actor, Capote **2007: Best Actress, The Savages; 2004 Best Supporting Actress, Kinsey; 2000: Best Actress, You Can Count on Me. ***2007: Best Original Screenplay, The Savages.
It's almost impossible to describe The Savages in a way that makes it sound as richly engaging and enjoyable as it is. The story sounds bleak: Two unhappy siblings--Wendy (Laura Linney, You Can Count on Me) and Jon Savage (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote)--are forced to grapple with their dying father (Philip Bosco, Damages) as he slips into dementia. But this spare outline doesn't capture the wealth of human detail that the script and performances contain. Linney and Hoffman vividly portray the sort of cluttered, precarious relationship that brothers and sisters can have, thick with past grievances but also unspoken affections and connections that can't even be articulated. As Wendy and Jon struggle to make some kind of peace with their difficult father, watching these wonderfully understated yet compelling actors is a pleasure unto itself. But the script and direction deserve these actors; filmmaker Tamara Jenkins (Slums of Beverly Hills) finds honest emotion and sly, sideways humor in the starkness of mortality. She doesn't force any easy epiphanies on her story, but lets the characters find solace through their own clumsy efforts. Anyone who appreciates the messiness of humanity--the territory that Hollywood movies seem to have surrendered to smart indie films like The Squid and the Whale, Little Children, or The Good Girl--will find The Savages a smart, genuine, and empathic portrait of life. --Bret Fetzer
Beyond The Savages
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Stills from The Savages
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Aversion to old age disgust:
If you do not enjoy fecal matter and dying seniors as an entertaining evening, even despite the reciprocal potential reality of your own life (unless you're parents are 80+ and soon to be dead) and those dying seniors you may or may not have experienced, then THIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR YOU. I was disgusted, please, do not waste your time UNLESS you've over 50 years of age, OR if you are seeking to gain false ficticious comparables for your own aging and soon to be dying parents. NOW, if you're willing... more info
mid-life humor meets family heartache:
When the elderly Lenny has a "toileting incident," and his girl friend Doris dies, his baby boomer children from whom he has been long estranged travel from New York to Sun City, Arizona, to care for their dad. Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Wendy (Laura Linney) relocate Lenny to Buffalo, New York, where they put him in a "nursing home." There are curled family photos to sort through, bingo twice a week, reams of forms to sign, and palpable angst about what they've done and how everyone will cope. "We're... more info
Pulls very few punches:
Billed as a dark comedy, 'The Savages' is certainly not standard movie fare but I think it's a film that we're richer for having around. Many have tackled end-of-life issues before but very few have done it like this. It is an unsentimental, unapologetic, slice-of-life depiction of two middle aged siblings, Linney (in an Oscar-nominated turn) and Hoffman, managing the rapid mental deterioration and death of their estranged, abusive father and the process - physiological and logistical - that entails.more info
REAL:
Hoffman is first rate, as always. I've never really been a Linney fan, but I could really relate to this character. Bosco was brilliant. I can only say this film's portrayal of the scenario was REAL. It struck a nerve... was raw, intense, funny at times, ironic. A real treasure of acting and filmmaking.
