About An Older Boy
Written: Mar 29 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Keaton and Nicholson in some of their best work
Cons: Meyers slows the pace too much at the climax
The Bottom Line: Posted just in time for the DVD release.
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| pmills1210's Full Review: Something's Gotta Give |
In the 2003 release "Anything Else," Woody Allen returned, in a way, to one of his most acclaimed films, the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Annie Hall." In "Something's Gotta Give," Diane Keaton gets her chance to remind audiences of her Oscar-winning role in that same film. In "Something's Gotta Give," Keaton stars as Erica Barry, a New York playwright who's headed to her beachfront home for the weekend with her sister Zoe (Frances McDormand) to relax and work on some ideas for a new play. The only problem about her weekend plans is that her daughter Marin (Amanda Peet) has the same idea, and Marin hasn't come alone. She has brought Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson), a 63-year-old business executive she's been seeing. At first, the Barry sisters are shocked by Harry, but he wins over some degree of trust with his charm. Erica still doesn't like the idea that her daughter is dating someone older than she.
Erica gets more of Harry than she wants when he suffers a mild heart attack. E. R. physician Julian Mercer (Keanu Reeves) has arranged for Harry's care at Erica's place after his discharge. Her home becomes filled with health care workers and members of Harry's entourage. Soon, though, Harry and Erica have her house to themselves. There are some awkward moments, including the movie's best-known scene, but soon, Erica falls for Harry's charm. They start instant messaging each other across the house, and convene in the kitchen for midnight snacks. Harry, meanwhile, announces that he and Marin have decided to stop seeing each other. Harry and Erica, meanwhile, not only have to deal with new feelings, but when he's through treating Harry, Julian expresses his attraction to Erica. Misunderstandings bring Erica and Julian together, but Harry wishes to make his feelings known.
"Something's Gotta Give" is a delightful tale about two people who never thought they'd know about love. In her past, Erica had been married, but things didn't work out between Erica and her former husband, Dave Klein (Paul Michael Glaser). Harry, though, focused on infatuation his entire adult life. He'd had a long string of infatuations with women who, like Marin, were around thirty. It's a time, according to Harry, when women are at the most special time of their lives. In every case, including Marin, he found a tactful way to part with them. In Erica, though, Harry finds somebody different, someone who shatters his belief system. In Harry, Erica finds someone who makes her believe love could happen again. Julian's advances help to affirm that love could find her. The only problem between Harry and Erica is that they never say the most important things to one another. Harry has never been confronted with a love that's been more than a temporary arrangement for him.
Writer-director Nancy Meyers has created a work that's very similar to an Allen film. It's set in New York, it includes a great deal of jazz music in its soundtrack, and features Keaton in a role much like the one she has played in Allen's films. Erica, however, has found her way in life. The play she writes, however, hits a little too close to home for Harry. In fact, she names one of her main characters Henry. He even perceives the play to be wishful thinking on her part when he learns that Henry dies. Instead of trying to separate the fiction from the fact, Harry goes on with his life, longing for Erica, while Erica carries on with the much younger Julian. While she criticizes Marin and Harry for their relationship, Erica doesn't even think twice about finding happiness with Julian. Marin, meanwhile, shows she's her mother's daughter in a later scene when Dave announces he's engaged to a woman who's barely older than Marin.
Meyers paces the film well until she reaches the resolution of the love triangle. The final encounter with Harry, Erica, and Julian moves far too slowly. Was Meyers trying to bring an element of surprise to the resolution? She shouldn't have. This is a movie that, unlike most Woody Allen films, is expected to head toward a happy ending. Meyers, though, lingers in the happy ending. It would have been better if she had maintained a consistent pace instead of leaving people waiting for the resolution.
Nicholson and Keaton have excellent chemistry, first as adversaries, and later as more than friends. Even when Erica mistakes Harry for an intruder, Harry is still able to turn on the charm, even as Erica threatens to beat him with with a baseball bat. Nicholson has a manner that suggests both charm and scorn. He likes ladies, but until Erica, has never taken them as seriously as his business interests. Keaton displays a charm reminiscent of her Oscar-winning role in "Annie Hall," and combines that with age, wisdom, and beauty. She's been in hurt in love, and she now protects herself from that hurt. Erica thinks nothing about wearing a turtleneck sweater on a summer day. In a moment of passion with Harry, she lets him cut her sweater right off her. Keaton has not lost a bit of the comic timing that won her an Oscar, and earned her another for the role of Erica. McDormand, Peet, and Reeves offer fine comic support.
"Something's Gotta Give" has the right combination of wit and star power to succeed. The movie is, in many ways, a Woody Allen film with a woman's touch (Allen, it should be noted, has often been praised for his stong portrayal of women). It's one of Keaton's best roles, and one of the best she's done in years. Nicholson, after trying to bring some class to "Anger Management," proves that that movie was just a speed bump of a very solid and versatile career. "Something's Gotta Give" is a movie that is in love with love. It's a film that acknowledges how very different men and women can be, and celebrates it. Ultimately, "Something's Gotta Give" shows that love often comes at the time when people least expect it.
Recommended:
Yes
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pmills1210
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Member: Pat Mills
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"Nothing in moderation." - Ernie Kovacs. Read and enjoy!
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