Pick #256
Dir. Nicole Holofcener · United Kingdom, United States of America · English
Up until an unexpected twist, James Gandolfini's second-to-last movie is a sweet and charming comedy about dating after divorce.
2013 Movie Comedy, Drama, Romance
Our take
You know you’re in for a treat when you see Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini heading the cast of a sweet and slightly goofy comedy. Steadily going beyond his persona in The Sopranos, you see James Gandolfini playing a role that his fans have probably always imagined him playing: a nice, funny guy with an endearing personality. Directed by Nicole Holofcener, Enough Said almost has a sit-com feel to it: a divorced single parent and masseuse, Eva (Louis-Dreyfus), is looked up by a guy, she briefly met at a party, Albert (Gandolfini). Upon finding out they have much in common, the two start dating. At the same time, she meets Marianne (Catherine Keener), who she becomes friends with and who cannot stop talking ill of her apparently awful ex-husband. You guessed it: it’s her new, promising date, Albert. Things get muddy and very funny as she starts to doubt, whether she has made a big mistake. Hilarious, romantic, and smart, it’s very much like we expected: a real treat.
What it won
Golden Globes
1 nom
SAG Awards
1 nom
Spirit Awards
2 noms
The story
Eva is a divorced soon-to-be empty-nester wondering about her next act. Then she meets Marianne, the embodiment of her perfect self. Armed with a restored outlook on being middle-aged and single, Eva decides to take a chance on her new love interest Albert — a sweet, funny and like-minded man. But things get complicated when Eva discovers that Albert is in fact the dreaded ex–husband of Marianne...
Elsewhere
"Some films are a cold shower, others a warm bath. Enough Said is mainly a warm bath but bracing morality gives the romantic comedy an anchor in common relationship reality."
— Sophie Monks Kaufman
"I miss the ensemble fullness and quirky pacing of Holofcener's Friends with Money and Please Give, but there are enough dissonances, parentheticals, and curlicues to remind you why her movies are like no other's."
— David Edelstein
Streaming arrival
I’m sorry, but despite my love for James Gandolfini, this movie fell flat. It was chocked full of tired tropes and stereotypes. This movie had nothing interesting, moving, or funny. For a 9.0, I was shocked—a superficially shallow movie, and not even in a cozy or endearing way.