Academy Award winner® Philip Seymour Hoffman and Academy Award® nominee Laura Linney deliver unforgettable performances in this hilarious coming-of-middle age story from Oscar® -nominated writer / director Tamara Jenkins. Until recently all John and Wendy Savage (Hoffman Linney) had in common was a lousy childhood and a few strands of DNA. But after years of drifting apart they're forced to band together to care for the elderly cantankerous father who made their formative years "challenging." In the process both of these aimless perpetually adolescent fortysomethings may just at long last have to grow up!System Requirements:Running Time: 113 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/COMING OF AGE Rating: R UPC: 024543506799 Manufacturer No: 2250679
It's almost impossible to describe The Savages in a way that makes it sound as richly engaging and enjoyable as it is. The story sounds bleak: Two unhappy siblings--Wendy (Laura Linney, You Can Count on Me) and Jon Savage (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote)--are forced to grapple with their dying father (Philip Bosco, Damages) as he slips into dementia. But this spare outline doesn't capture the wealth of human detail that the script and performances contain. Linney and Hoffman vividly portray the sort of cluttered, precarious relationship that brothers and sisters can have, thick with past grievances but also unspoken affections and connections that can't even be articulated. As Wendy and Jon struggle to make some kind of peace with their difficult father, watching these wonderfully understated yet compelling actors is a pleasure unto itself. But the script and direction deserve these actors; filmmaker Tamara Jenkins (Slums of Beverly Hills) finds honest emotion and sly, sideways humor in the starkness of mortality. She doesn't force any easy epiphanies on her story, but lets the characters find solace through their own clumsy efforts. Anyone who appreciates the messiness of humanity--the territory that Hollywood movies seem to have surrendered to smart indie films like The Squid and the Whale, Little Children, or The Good Girl--will find The Savages a smart, genuine, and empathic portrait of life. --Bret Fetzer
Beyond The Savages
More from Laura Linney
More from Philip Seymour Hoffman
More Comedies from Fox
Stills from The Savages
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Is It Done Yet?:
Are we there yet? Can I get that hour of my life back? It's not nice to "savage" such a highly-acclaimed film about such an important, relevant, timely subject. Movies should be made about this topic. But not this badly-written, ham-handed tripe. The main actor appeared very natural, most of the time, which really made him stand out in sharp contrast with those who think annoying=emoting. The dialogue was hackneyed, cliched, and just awful. Characterization was flat in places and non-existent in... more info
Well-acted and very human:
Fine performances by Linney and Seymour-Hoffman are the main attraction is this movie. They play a brother and sister who shoulder the burden and responsibility of caring for their aged, and once abusive, father in his final weeks.
We're not exactly told how the father treated them when they were young -- it's hinted at rather than made explicit. The father, now demented, still shows flashes of his old temper from time to time but is now just a shadow of his former self, both physically and mentally.... more info
Fine acting, very human:
Fine performances by Linney and Seymour-Hoffman key this story about a brother and sister forced to step in and care for their demented father in his final days. It appears the father abused them as children, although we aren't really told exactly what he did. When his girlfriend of 20 years in Arizona dies, his children move him into a nursing home in Buffalo, New York.
The movie makes much of the visual difference between the cookie-cutter sub-division in Sun City Arizona, full of old people... more info
Every aspect of this film fits like a glove...:
Let's talk for a minute about the perfect actors for the perfect script. As I watched `The Savages' last night I couldn't help but think that these actors couldn't be better suited for this film. Both Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman have this incredibly natural dry wit about them that plays so well with the tightly woven dramedy Tamara Jenkins penned. Every line felt real and connects with the audience as it connects with the actors. There is nothing fake about this movie, for the actors understand... more info
