SlipOfTheTongue Blog

Under discussion:

The Savages  (2007)

I hate to be a damp sponge.  THE SAVAGES is full of well observed moments.  It is rather tonally restrained and is definitely full of terrific acting but...I just didn't have a very good time watching it. 

The premise essentially deals with a brother and sister who have drifted apart into their own banal adult existences.  Laura Linney (the sister) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (the brother) have issues, none so exaggerated that we cannot identify with them.  Take a couple  of mid-life crises, add in Parkinsons and dementia, death, incontinence and marital infidelity you have something that is not quite my idea of a good time at the movies.  Whoopee, get the popcorn!

Maybe it's me.  I expected enough "savage" humor would be mixed in to take the sting out of staring into a yawning abyss for two hours.  God is this film bleak.  The wit I hoped would be present is (save for 5 or 6 funny moments) absent from the film.  In many cases it feels as if the director has substituted gentle, restrained "preciousness" in its place.  Perhaps this is the mark of a director who is too much of a "girl" or maybe I'm too much of a "guy" but dammit, this film is just not as great as it might have been and that's a little sad.  It is amazing how a few small creative self-indulgences can knock a movie down from five stars to three.  Aint that odd.

I guess after two films I am not a Tamara Jenkins fan.  This director is also responsible for Slums of Beverly Hills, which I always felt from previews and premise should have been a terrific movie...except it wasn't.  I always watch that film (I've seen it roughly two and a half times) and wonder why I'm not laughing or even smiling (not even inside!)  It positively puzzles me.

I would like to praise both Hoffman and Linney for their fine performances and all the supporting actors are good as well.  The characterizations are never overstated.  Jenkins has a good feel for performance and for creating moments between people.  She rarely sacrifices her characters for a cheap or easy laugh.  On the downside, the music is sappy and repetitive.  It's almost an impediment to the realism present in much of the film.  The ending is sweet and somewhat precious and I'm not sure if I liked it.  I don't know if Jenkins wants us to conclude that these characters are in a somewhat a repetitive existence marked by personal limitations or if she is indicating that there is a potential for growth.  All I end up coming away with is the distinct sense that we are all going to get old and die and that this experience will not be pleasant but that neither does it need to be frightening.  Hey, a little dementia goes along way when it comes to cushioning the blow, huh? 

This film is almost more portrait than story and I'm not sure what to feel while looking at this portrait...except that it makes me feel kind of bad.  I just wish there were a few more jokes and that another spice were there (tonally) to stand in for the preciousness that might seem restrained and yet is all too present.

There is so much good in this film, and I just wish it could have been great. 

Under discussion:

Great World of Sound  (2007)

I'm not sure where GREAT WORLD OF SOUND falls in the anthology of film.  It has an understated, documentary quality which is admirable.  It is at times funny but never strains for laughs.  Perhaps its best achievement is in creating a seemless world of struggling losers who are at once believable and even in some regards likeable.  This occurs even as the above said characters are seen duping apspiring local musicians and theme acts out of their very limited assets.

Props for director Craig Zobel and to Kene Holiday for his engaging portrayal of a salesman who sees no shame in exploiting the grey areas in his dealings with would be clients.  Pat Healy is low key in all the right ways and is belieavable as a somewhat likeable loser who is trying to improve his life.  

The annoying thing about this film (in retrospect) is that we are never actually sure while it plays out whether or not our two leads are in on the con or not.  Are they slightly aware?  Do they even have suspicions early on?  Do they have niggling doubts?  A little more character and script development here to see their progression as characters might have helped and certainly Martin seems smart enough to have caught on to much of the game earlier in the story.

Much love goes out to the other supporting actors (including Robert Longstreet who strikes just the right tone as the creepy head honcho Layton).  The audition scenes with real musicians are never overplayed, and it's a joy to see such restraint.  The director is to be commended for getting the tone right and not overplaying the story.  The film feels pitch perfect if it could only go back to the shop for a few script tweaks where it might benefit from a little more character and scene development.  I'd call it a fascinating, well played, near miss.