Enough Said

Confession time begins right now.  I am a typical male, and I enjoy movies that have story lines about car chases, shrapnel as lead characters, and anything to do with cybernetic organisms (surrounded by living tissue, mind you) traveling back in time to 1985 Los Angeles to assassinate a waitress who rides a scooter.  At the same time, however, I also enjoy a good romantic comedy a great deal.

The key word used above was 'good,' as I will now take a moment to tell you about how romantic comedies are similar to horrors for me.  They are both a dime a dozen, they seem to generally be cheaply made, they follow strict formulas, they are full of cliches, and you have to watch twenty of them before you come across a good one.  However, when you do come across a well done romantic comedy (or horror, if you are into that sort of thing) you have a lot of different emotions stirred up, and the side of us that clings to the desire for growth and companionship and  remembered.  Sadly, as I already stated, there is a lot of crap to wade through if you are going to find the marble in the oatmeal.

Currently in theatres is Enough Said, which stars the late James Gandolfini (Sopranos) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld).  We follow the character of Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who is a masseuse, and at a party meets Albert (Gandolfini) and a new client, Marianne (Catherine Keener).  Eva is contacted by Albert for the purposes of dating, and also contacted by Marianne for the purposes of a relaxing rub down.  As she develops both relationships, she discovers that Marianne is Albert's ex-wife and finds herself in a conundrum as she is able to get the scoop on all of the irritating habits of her suitor, and that information is causing friction in her relationship.

What makes this movie really work is the sincerity and the chemistry that both Gandolfini and Louis-Dreyfus bring to their characters and to the relationship.  They are both divorcees who are on the verge of becoming empty nesters and are ready to risk heartache once again to have the relationship void in their lives filled.  We see them fumble their way through the dance that is courtship, two people who have been there before but a great many years ago.  In their scenes together they really are natural, which is thanks to their acting ability but also to a great script written by Nicole Holofcener, who also directed the film.

With every romantic comedy, there is always some tension that butts its head in at some point.  The tension in Enough Said comes from Eva's fear of heartache and the pursuit of information about Albert that eventually effects the relationship.  While we may be able to get mad at Eva for not putting Albert first and trusting her original opinion of him, Julia Louis-Dreyfus gives a performance that allows us to see the deep down fears that she has and it is easy to have sympathy for her character.  I won't give any spoilers here but the true emotions of the story, for me at least, were summed up beautifully in the last thirty seconds of the film.

While too many romantic comedies portray such an unreal view of love, romance, the damsel, the guy who would jump over a crocodile to save her, Enough Said is a refreshing reminder of the base human desire for companionship.  There is nothing over the top done here, just dinners out and brunch in sweats.  That may not be the idea of 'the great romance' for some and may keep them from seeing this film, but that is the reality of life.  Our ultimate goal in a relationship is not to develop pectorals and run alongside a train leaving the station, it is to meet someone who we can eventually be our own, vulnerable selves with.  This movie does just that, and it can be a tear jerker for some people, a seed planted to search for that special someone, or a reminder that you already have something great to hold onto.

Me, I had a great big grin at the end and a light dusting of moisture in my eyes... probably from onions.

Rating - 3.5 stars