The late James Gandolfini shines in the romantic comedy “Enough Said”, which is the next-to-last film of his outstanding career and one that belongs near the top of his acting credits. Gandolfini stars as Albert opposite Julia-Louis Dreyfus’s Eva. They are both divorced, middle-aged parents of daughters who will soon be heading off to college. Albert runs a museum of Television history (what a great job!) and Eva is a masseuse. They meet at a party, soon begin to date and quickly form a quirky relationship, playfully bouncing-off each other with funny, often sarcastic, one-liners.
In the meantime, Eva gets a new client, a poet named Marianne (Catherine Keener) and she messes-up her potential love connection with Albert. Explaining how would give away too much, and some of what happens is “movie coincidence”, but I bought it. Credit goes to screenwriter/director Nicole Holofcner for delivering a believable script out of a somewhat hard to believe situation.
Gandolfini, best known for his iconic role as tough, mob boss Tony Soprano, is simply excellent. Dreyfus is also very good. Their chemistry together is natural and magical. We’re drawn into Eva and Albert’s world and get to know them as friends, connecting with them just as they are connecting with each other.
This is a dialogue-driven comedy. There aren’t many laugh-out-loud moments, but several scenes filled with lively conversations and clever lines delivered with perfect comedic timing by not only Gandolfini and Dreyfus, but Eva’s married friends played by Toni Collette and Ben Falcone. And there’s a very effective subplot, one not normally explored in films such as this, involving the relationship between Eva, her daughter Ellen, and Ellen’s best friend Chloe. The final ten minutes include some of the best scenes of any film this year.
“Enough Said” is rated PG-13 for some adult language and situations. It’s appropriate for teens and up but is geared for an older audience. It’s a must-see for Gandolfini’s nomination-worthy performance, but that’s only one of a long list of reasons you should seek out this film.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Enough Said” gets an A-.