Enough Said
???1/2
“Enough Said” is a romantic comedy for adults. It’s sharp, clever and achingly realistic.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Eva, a divorced single mother. She’s a masseuse — a job that allows for interesting scenes that play with character development throughout the film.
She meets James Gandolfini’s character, Albert, at a party. They begin a relationship, which gets messy when Eva becomes the masseuse for Albert’s ex-wife.
Louis-Dreyfus and Gandolfini are an unexpected pair, but their chemistry is the fuel behind this film’s fire.
Gandolfini shines in one of the final films of his career. His unexpected death in June felt so sudden that it was hard to feel any sense of closure. “Enough Said” provides the closest thing possible.
His performance is indescribably warm and his character feels like a close friend. Even while Albert’s ex-wife is revealing his many flaws to Eva, his charm is too endearing to ignore. As Louis-Dreyfus begins to fall for the goofy, kind-hearted Albert, so does the audience. It’s impossible not to, because he’s the soul behind the film.
Louis-Dreyfus’ comedic timing is spot-on. It helps that the dialogue is fresh and clever. The film is littered with subtle jokes that work simply because of Louis-Dreyfus’ facial expressions and quirks.
“Enough Said” walks a strange line between drama and comedy, and despite a few times when the confusion grows too strong, the witty dialogue and strong performances make almost all of it work.
The film’s relationships are a lot like life. They’re awkward and funny and painful, but sometimes things fall nicely into place. It isn’t always perfect, but sometimes things are all right.
Eva and Albert aren’t clear soul mates. They have issues. They don’t ride into the sunset together, with cinematic music in the background, and the film is better for it. It’s honest and mature.
“Enough Said” is nothing groundbreaking. Everything here has been done before. But it’s a strong, pleasant film with no major flaws.
Director Nicole Holofcener 1has breathed a breath of fresh air into a movie season filled with explosive action flicks and tense biopics. For that alone, it’s worth seeing.
— Schyler Martin
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
