The Savages (Tamara Jenkins, 2007)

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#1 Post by **domino harvey** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:05 am

Official site w/trailer

Besides having the best poster art in years, this actually looks pretty good. No idea if it's award-bait or not, but I got a Junebug-vibe which is a big plus.

#2 Post by **Jeff** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:00 am

domino harvey wrote:the best poster art in years

I'm sure Domino is referring to the 'Style A' Chris Ware poster, but the 'Style B' poster and teaser are pretty good too.

David Ehrenstein · #3 Post by **David Ehrenstein** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:14 pm

A depressing premise (squabbling siblings put Dementia Dad in a nursing home) it's surprisingly good. Laura Linney and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are just great. She makes a truly annoying ditz watchable and after a string of monsters he gets to play a really nice, albeit schlubby, guy for a change.

tavernier · #4 Post by **tavernier** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:37 pm

As good as Linney and Hoffman are, it's Phil Bosco who makes this melodramatic movie watchable as their father.

#5 Post by **Matt** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:31 pm

How does this compare to Jenkins' previous The Slums of Beverly Hills? I appear to be in a small minority who hated that film.

#6 Post by **Matt** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:57 pm

Matt wrote:How does this compare to Jenkins' previous The Slums of Beverly Hills? I appear to be in a small minority who hated that film.

Well, Matt, the performances are much better (Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman are a far cry from Natasha Lyonne and David Krumholtz), the premise and execution is more mature, and the humor is less forced. At the same time, the characters are still only sketches, and the film has a nice, pat ending that shows that a title card reading "six months later" can magically eliminate all doubt, uncertainty, and human frailty from your life.

The film was pleasant and enjoyable, but I can't imagine ever going back to watch it a second time. It seems to fill that annual slot of impeccably-acted, competently-made indie dramedy about a dysfunctional family that just doesn't really go anywhere. Last year's entry was Little Miss Sunshine, 2005's was Me and You and Everyone We Know, 2004's was Garden State, 2003's was Pieces of April, 2002's was Lovely and Amazing, and so forth. It's almost like people are setting their sights lower than Oscar-bait and aiming for Independent Spirit Award-bait.

Noir of the Night · Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:06 am

SPOILERS

I actually liked this a lot more than Little Miss Sunshine, Garden State, etc. While it isn't completely divorced from those movies, it felt a lot more authentic. I liked the fact that we hear them discuss the father's abusive/neglectful treatment of them but never see a big confrontational scene, that his death doesn't turn into a big plot point, but instead happens and is reacted to, the way things like that tend to work out in real life. That lies at the heart of what I enjoyed so much about the movie; it felt like it was just a depiction of a passage of time for these characters, and not a movie with a plot or genre or anything like that. There are dramatic moments, there are comedic moments, but they never really feel like moments that were expressly designed to be Dramatic or Comedic. There aren't any heartfelt revelations or plot twists, just these characters who have imperfect and complicated relationships and try to deal with that. As for the sixth months later scene, I can understand your reservations about it, but it worked for me. While it was maybe a little pat, it kind of suggests character progression without necessarily explicitly showing it; I could easily envision Hoffman's planned reunion with his Polish girlfriend flaming out, and maybe Linney's play won't be a success. But the thing at the end with the jogging and the dog was pushing it a little.

#8 Post by **domino harvey** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:29 am

This movie is so much the Laura Linney Show that I can not understand why most reviewers/awards are geared towards Hoffman's phoned-in performance (He's getting dangerously close to becoming Jack Nicholson). He was good but he never took his (underwritten) character very far, while Linney manages to turn her slightly-less underwritten character into one of her best performances yet. She's the only reason the movie succeeds and I really hope she gets a (deserved) Oscar nom for the role, even though I know it's a long-shot.

tavernier · #9 Post by **tavernier** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 6:28 am

Phil Bosco is as good as Linney.

Antoine Doinel · #10 Post by **Antoine Doinel** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 3:15 am

I saw this tonight and thought it was a great little film. I pretty much agree with everything Noir Of The Night said. Tamara Jenkins script is thankfully devoid of big scenes and really plays out naturally. I thought the entire cast was great, and as for Hoffman, I don't think he phoned it in at all. Yes, he does have a habit of playing schlubs, but there wasn't the pathetic streak that is found in a lot of the lesser films he's been in. But I agree domino, Hoffman's character is underwritten a bit.

#11 Post by **domino harvey** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:09 pm

Fox Home Entertainment has announced The Savages which stars Laura Linney, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The Oscar nominated film will be available to own from the 22nd April, and will retail at $27.98. The film itself will be presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. Extras will include a About the Savages featurette, some Director’s Snapshots, and 2 extended scenes (The Sun City West Rhythm Tappers, and Two of a Kind).

#12 Post by **domino harvey** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 6:56 pm

They didn't keep the poster art #-o
But at least the real cover isn't as bad as it could have been:

DrPepper · #13 Post by **DrPepper** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 10:32 pm

As late as I may be, I finally got a chance to view this film tonight. It's been interesting me all year, since it was released to cinemas, and, I must say, it didn't disappoint. The humour from the father provided a nice relief from the emotional storm that the "The Savages" brought to the piece. However, I found the early 'shit-smothering' scene a rather feeble attempt at winning favour from the audience towards the evil, abusive father which soiled the film's quality, as a whole, for me. Instead, I'd have rather they'd just let the audience grow to admire him through his humorous dialogue.

jbeall · #14 Post by **jbeall** » Sun May 02, 2010 4:09 am

I might've liked this film a lot more if the ending hadn't been so tacked-on. However, IMO, the last twenty or so minutes made a beeline for conventional indie-dramedy tropes and remained mired there until the credits rolled. I thought all three leads were quite good (esp. Linney), but not good enough to distract me from mentally checking off the formulaic plot-points as The Savages hit them in turn. Eh. I guess it was enjoyable for what it was, but as with Little Miss Sunshine or Juno, I've absolutely no need to see this a second time.

Incidentally, the poster art is the dvd label.

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