The Savages - B+

In theaters. Rated R, 96 minutes. Trailer.

Ostensibly the story of two middle aged kids dealing with their father's descent into dementia and, eventually, his death, The Savages is a solid, but not exceptional film. The film is written and directed by Tamara Jenkins and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney as the emotionally dysfunctional caretakers of their father who emotionally abused and abandoned them. The film isn't a serious weepy, but instead an enjoyable and funny movie with flawed characters. Click below to keep reading this review.

Hoffman inhabits the older, detached brother with the all-business exterior of a man that has suppressed his painful upbringing in order to navigate the world. Unfortunately for him, emotions are not optional in his personal life, in which he struggles to commit to his Polish girlfriend. Linney is up to her usual but effective neurotic and kind-of pretty self (see, for example, You Can Count On Me and Love Actually). Her character is smart and educated, but, like her brother, at a complete loss for emotional connection. She is sleeping with a married neighbor (that looks like Jacque Chirac) even though she knows it is pathetic.

These two misfits join together to deal with their father's descent and cope with putting him in a nursing home. The back and forth between them is acidic and funny, succeeding where Margot at the Wedding failed. There are several poignant moments and the writing is honest and enjoyable, even in the cringeworthy moments. I have a limited attention span, though, for the plight of the unmarried, middle aged, educated and amoral liberal, so this stays in the B pile.