TV lost one of its all-time greats this year, but Screen Editor Rob Harris finds Enough Said a smart, witty tribute to James Gandolfini.
Billed as one as James Gandolfini’s last undertakings into film before his untimely death back in June, Nicole Holofcener’s latest endeavour immediately stands out as one of the best comedies of the year.
By taking a refreshingly mature approach to the traditional rom-com formula, it stands as a prime example of how a film should handle the seriousness of a relationship without neglecting the all-important laughs. And boy, there are laughs.
After meeting at a ritzy middle-aged party, Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a divorced physical therapist, forms a relationship with Albert (Gandolfini), a slobbish but deeply kind and humorous giant of a man. As the two become closer, the relationship is gradually poisoned by Marianne (Catherine Keener), one of Eva’s clients and awkwardly for her, Albert’s ex-wife.
As the plot progresses and she is fed more and more stories about her boyfriend from the unknowing Marianne, Eva soon becomes locked in an internal struggle as she tries to balance Albert’s good and bad qualities without him or his former wife finding out about her connection between the old couple.
Usually, declaring the movie’s humour as ‘adult’ throws up connotations of nudity, swearing and cringe-inducing sex jokes, Enough Said brings it back to reality by tackling a multitude of very real issues.
From the stress of divorce to their kids leaving home and going to college, these genuine moments engage superbly with the sincerity displayed by the film’s two leads, generating witty but never tiresome dialogue as well as a relationship just as believable and warm as any you would find in the real world.
Whilst the usual rom-com tropes may prevent some from enjoying the flick as a full-fledged comedy, Enough Said does more than enough to keep you entertained from start to finish and definitely warrants more than just one viewing.
Rob Harris, Screen Editor
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