I found The Savages interesting but not compelling. It centers on a brother and sister, both clearly socially challenged. Wendy Savage (Laura Linney) is a 39-year-old writer who lives in New York City, works temp to pay the bills, and is trying to get grant money with which to complete a play. She is in a passionless affair with a 52-year-old married man, Larry, (Peter Friedman) with no prospect of a real relationship in sight. Jon Savage (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is a professor of literature at a Buffalo college, writing a book about humor in Brecht. His Polish girlfriend, Kasia, (Cara Seymour) is returning home as her visa has expired, yet he does not seem at all touched by this. In a faux-idyllic Sun City, Arizona, their father, Lenny, (Phillip Bosco in a compelling performance) is living with his girlfriend in her home in the retirement community. He has begun experiencing symptoms of dementia. When his girlfriend dies, her kids kick him out and force the Savage sibs to cope.
Frequent mention is made of what a bad father Lenny had been, but we are given little detail. Occasional mention is made of their mother abandoning them. They did not become dysfunctional without some help. What to do with dad, who suffers from dementia and bouts of rage? They place him in a depressing nursing home. Wendy dreams of a nicer place for him, but when he is brought there for an interview it is clear that he is not functional enough to meet their requirements. And it is not clear how Wendy and Jon would be able to pay for it in any case.
This movie is a character study of the sibs with a look at how Americans deal with aging and death. Jon gives a speech in which he holds forth on how the whole nursing home presentation of beauty and comfort is nothing more than an attempt to prey on the guilt of the families of the elderly. Inside they are all the same, he says, places of death. The sibs argue over the care of their father, at times with him present. You can see dad giving up all desire to persist. There are some lovely moments. Wendy befriends one of her father's caretakers, Jimmy (Gbenga Akinnagbe) and lets her hair down to him. He shows much-needed appreciation for her work and teaches her about a key thing that happens to all patients who are about to die. Wendy's cat stays at the nursing home with dad for a bit, and is there when his toes curl. There are occasional uncomfortable laughs. Jon's diatribe about nursing homes being places of death is overheard by a passerby in a wheel-chair. Lenny's choice of classic film leads to a very uncomfortable exit for the sibs. But, while laughs are few and far between here, The Savages has a much more upbeat ending than one might suspect, as the characters all show growth. Wendy has learned to nurture and is moving forward in her work; Jon is taking an active role in his relationship with Kasia. Even Lenny decides to stop bitching and move on.
Linney might get an Oscar nomination for her work here. She is completely convincing as a socially challenged middle-ager who has been fending off reality and responsibility for a long time. Her portrayal rings very, very true. Phillip Bosco is riveting as the demented Lenny.
As an aside, I quite enjoyed the soundtrack, which effectively underscored the goings on.
Beyond that, re content, I did get the sense that there were levels to this film that I was missing, Neanderthal that I am, and am looking forward to the brighter lights here to illuminate them.
Frequent mention is made of what a bad father Lenny had been, but we are given little detail. Occasional mention is made of their mother abandoning them. They did not become dysfunctional without some help. What to do with dad, who suffers from dementia and bouts of rage? They place him in a depressing nursing home. Wendy dreams of a nicer place for him, but when he is brought there for an interview it is clear that he is not functional enough to meet their requirements. And it is not clear how Wendy and Jon would be able to pay for it in any case.
This movie is a character study of the sibs with a look at how Americans deal with aging and death. Jon gives a speech in which he holds forth on how the whole nursing home presentation of beauty and comfort is nothing more than an attempt to prey on the guilt of the families of the elderly. Inside they are all the same, he says, places of death. The sibs argue over the care of their father, at times with him present. You can see dad giving up all desire to persist. There are some lovely moments. Wendy befriends one of her father's caretakers, Jimmy (Gbenga Akinnagbe) and lets her hair down to him. He shows much-needed appreciation for her work and teaches her about a key thing that happens to all patients who are about to die. Wendy's cat stays at the nursing home with dad for a bit, and is there when his toes curl. There are occasional uncomfortable laughs. Jon's diatribe about nursing homes being places of death is overheard by a passerby in a wheel-chair. Lenny's choice of classic film leads to a very uncomfortable exit for the sibs. But, while laughs are few and far between here, The Savages has a much more upbeat ending than one might suspect, as the characters all show growth. Wendy has learned to nurture and is moving forward in her work; Jon is taking an active role in his relationship with Kasia. Even Lenny decides to stop bitching and move on.
Linney might get an Oscar nomination for her work here. She is completely convincing as a socially challenged middle-ager who has been fending off reality and responsibility for a long time. Her portrayal rings very, very true. Phillip Bosco is riveting as the demented Lenny.
As an aside, I quite enjoyed the soundtrack, which effectively underscored the goings on.
Beyond that, re content, I did get the sense that there were levels to this film that I was missing, Neanderthal that I am, and am looking forward to the brighter lights here to illuminate them.