Sometimes movies are uncomfortably close to our everyday lives. Not too much danger of that from Spiderman, but The Savages is definitely too close to the bone for me. I'm not too sure that I'm being entirely fair to this film. It's well written and stars two of today's best actors: Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Throw in Philip Bosco, an older character actor you've seen a million times, and it's a nearly perfect little film which made me squirm.
Linney and Hoffman play a brother and sister who have no choice but to deal with their father's declining competence. I've played these scenes myself with my own father and siblings. That's why I find it so difficult to be objective about this film. And that, in turn, makes me think about how artificial it is to pretend that film reviews are objective at all. I completely understand why my personal experience is interfering to such a great extent in my evaluation of this picture. I, too, sat with my father as his cognitive abilities were being assessed by a series of questions administered by an assisted living administrator. I, too, tried to help him give the answers the questioner was looking for. I, too, was desperately anxious, worrying that he would be rejected as suitable for the facility. I, too, had to face reality when he was, indeed, rejected.
I also understand that siblings are often in different stages of denial, acceptance, anger, and grief. We all think that there must be a better place for our dissolving parent. We all think that there is a place where he can be happier. In many ways, this film is too real for me, so it's impossible for me to be objective. But what makes me think I'm more objective when I'm writing about Spiderman? Am I not also bringing my own experiences to that film? Experiences different from yours? Of course I am. So, all I'm offering here are occasional idiosyncratic opinions which you can choose to accept or ignore.
Nonna Rating System:
$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$ = Worth paying the Matinee price
$$ = Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it
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