Enough Said

Writer-director Nicole Holofcener examines the pitfalls of middle-age romance as vulnerable and emotionally conflicted single parents cope with empty nests in this dramatic comedy, starring the late James Gandolfini. Energetic Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a massage therapist who totes her bulky table around West L.A., making house calls. Now divorced, she's sad that her beloved teenage daughter (Tracey Fairaway) is departing for Sarah Lawrence College. At a cocktail party, Eva meets two pivotal people: Marianne (Catherine Keener), a cool, chic, yet condescending poet, and Albert (Gandolfini), an easygoing, down-to-earth divorced father whose daughter (Eve Hewson) is heading to Manhattan to study fashion design. Eva soon becomes Marianne's confidante, dutifully listening to her bitter litany of complaints about her former husband. She also becomes Albert's girlfriend—before realizing that Marianne is Albert's ex-wife. A subplot intertwines Eva's daughter's confused best friend (Tavi Gevinson) with Eva's own BFF (Toni Collette), a shallow, self-absorbed therapist struggling with personal issues. Gandolfini delivers a sympathetic, self-deprecating performance that nicely captures the sensitive nuances of a man yearning for someone he can love. Louis-Dreyfus, by contrast, too often falls back on facial grimaces and sitcom timing. Still, overall, Enough Said delivers insightful, wryly amusing social commentary on the subject of contemporary suburban anxiety. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include production featurettes on cast, story, and director Nicole Holofcener (18 min. total), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are "Second Takes" outtakes (6 min.), and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a mostly winning film.] (S. Granger)