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SYNOPSIS: Kate
and Alex (Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt) own a successful
Manhattan furniture store, reselling mid-century modern treasures
purchased from the estates of the newly deceased. Wanting
to enlarge and remodel the apartment where they live with
their acne-ridden teenage daughter Abby (Sarah Steele), they've
bought the unit neighboring their own. But before they can
expand their home, they must wait for the current tenant -
miserable, 91-year-old Andra (Ann Guilbert), to die.
As
Kate's family gets to know Andra and the granddaughters who
look after her (Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet), animosity,
infidelity, friendship, and empathy play out with sharp humor
and pathos. "Please Give" is writer/director Nicole
Holofcener's perceptive - and painfully funny - take on modern
life's contradictions, good intentions and shaky moral bearings.
MOVIE
REVIEW:
If there is one thing that defines the lives
that you and I lead, it would be the relationships we have
with people around us – from the ones we hold dear to
our hearts, to the acquaintances who happen to chance upon
our lives, to those whom you truly detest and do not want
to have any affiliations to. And it is such relationships
that inspire the greatest screenplays in films. Here we have
a simple and seemingly unimportant setup of a few characters
who cross each others’ paths in New York City, but the
result of viewing this Nicole Holofcener directed feature
is a satisfying one.
In the hustle and bustle of the city, two
families are put in the spotlight as viewers join in their
journey of managing a marriage, the parenthood of a teenager,
and the caretaking of a senior citizen. A couple owns a store
selling modern furniture trying to live with the guilt from
the profits they get from the used furniture. A teenage daughter
with acne problem. An elderly grandmother who will not move
out of an apartment until she dies. Two granddaughters with
problems of their own. The web of relationships is weaved
intricately in Holofcener’s screenplay without tinted
judgements.
The director writer has her cast to thank
for this engaging 90 minute film. Catherine Keener plays the
woman who takes on volunteer jobs and donating money to the
homeless as a desperate attempt to come to terms how she makes
money on a daily basis. The always reliable actress brings
this conflicted character to life with her credible acting.
Oliver Platt plays her husband, a man who is going through
some serious middle age crisis, and he manages to have viewers
empathize with him. The radiant Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet
play the two granddaughters with gusto and zest – two
modern women who have to catch up with the times, whether
they like it or not. Ann Guilbert and Sarah Steele round up
the ensemble piece with their interesting portrayal of a dying
grandmother and a angst ridden teenager.
Holofcener
knows better not to create caricatured stereotypes in her
film. She almost effortlessly directed her actors to look
like people around you and me, so much so that we feel like
we are listening on a fellow train commuter’s life story
as the film progresses. This results in a reflective and thoughtful
film which has us trying to make sense of our own lives, regardless
of which stage they are at.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains some bonus features which
allow you to better understand the making of this film which
was never shown on local screens. The 12 minute Behind
the Scenes of Please Give has the cast and crew members
talking about what the screenplay meant to them, and how they
portrayed the roles they were cast in. Four minutes of Outtakes
show you the funny NG takes of the film, while eight
minutes of Q & A with Nicole Holofcener
gives you an insight of how the script came about. A Theatrical
Trailer is also included in the disc.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There
is nothing to complain about the movie's visual transfer,
and you can choose to watch the feature in English, French
and Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
Posted on 12 December 2010
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