06 November 2010

The Savages (2007)


Dir.:Tamara Jenkins
    As with most of my Netflix-mailed rentals, this flick has been sitting on my desk for nearly a month.  Not to say that I haven't been very interested in seeing it but the number of distractions and stimuli in my bedroom alone is enough to make me put off on investing an hour and a half+ into any movie.  As I've been since waking up on this lazy Saturday I figured there was no better time to crawl under the blankets and get acquainted with The Savages.
     I defy you to find any P.S. Hoffman vehicle that doesn't hold your interest throughout.  I'm not sure if it's his role choices or the life he breathes into his characters that makes me love him so (I imagine both play a major role) but yet again I found myself completely involved in this movie.  Not to take anything away from my favorite Frasier Crane love interest Laura Linney who plays so very well off of him.  No more beautifully illustrated than in the scene where they match off on the tennis court.  Such is this portrayal of siblings thrust into an upheaval of their everyday life.
      I was completely invested in the characters.  I prayed for their victories that did not come and was left teary-eyed over end credits.  The story was compelling if only but a tad too long.  No laugh out loud moments but an appropriate amount of humor in such a despondent tale.  A great movie that can be watched alone.  One you can be emotional to.  One that anyone with family can empathize with.

7.5/10

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