![]() Hated hated hated hated hated this movie")-landing squarely in the turkey category. The funny lady might have made TV hay as yuppie princess Elaine Benes on "Seinfeld" and, currently, as our nation's second-in-command on the scathing political series "Veep." But she hardly ever was convincing as movie star material. That may be why Louis-Dreyfus only has eight live-action features on her resume, with several of the titles-especially 1994's " North" (of which Roger Ebert once famously wrote, "I hated this movie. ![]() This one also involves some extraneous strands, including Eva's co-opting of her daughter's best friend as an empty-nest replacement and Toni Collette as Eva's best pal, a therapist who clearly might benefit from getting psychiatric help, given her furniture-rearranging obsession and passive-aggressive relationship with her inept housekeeper.Įven as Gandolfini joins the ranks of unlikely plus-size movie Romeos such as Ernest Borgnine in "Marty" and John Candy in "Only the Lonely," it is interesting to contrast his approach to his character with that of Louis-Dreyfus. We all know what happens when such tangled webs are woven. Unfortunately, the poet's complaints start to affect Eva's feelingsĪbout Albert-she calls Marianne "a human TripAdvisor," referring to The sex is good, and she doesn't mind that his pudgy hands look like "paddles." He invites her over for brunch even if he is still in his sleeping attire. She and Albert laugh at each other's jokes. She also is pals with Joni Mitchell, which is to Southern Californians of a certain age what being friend of Bruce Springsteen is to New Jerseyeans.Įva signs her up as a client, and before too long realizes from her petty kvetching about her former husband's idiosyncrasies that she is Albert's ex-wife.Ĭourse, Eva wants to have her Albert cake and hang with cool-chick Marianne as well. She's a goddess-like woman of wealth and taste who actually makes a living as a poet. What you wouldn't know, however, is that Eva clicks at the same gathering with Marianne (Holofcener regular Catherine Keener, striking just the right note of easy aloofness). Wouldn't you know that Albert and Eva would bond at a cocktail party, since his daughter is going away to school as well. She, too, is divorced, and is more wrapped up in mourning the upcoming loss of her college-bound daughter than in looking for a new relationship. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays a masseuse named Eva who drags her unwieldy table (milked for numerous laughs) around Los Angeles while making house calls. The set-up for "Enough Said" and many of its running gags finds Holofcener in more commercial terrain than usual-in what is almost a sitcom vein at times. ![]() His Albert-a divorced dad and self-described slob whose ex nitpicked his every quirk, from his avoiding the use of bedside tables to his habit of picking onions out of his guacamole-supposedly reflects his own gentle-giant nature. Gandolfini worked steadily and sometimes memorably as part of an ensemble in such features as " True Romance," " Get Shorty" and " Zero Dark Thirty," but he never found a defining film character that was anywhere near as rich and complex as Tony Soprano-until now, perhaps. But while there is an extra pang of poignancy in observing Gandolfini in one of his final roles, there is also joy in the sight of him breaking free from the confines of his tough-guy straitjacket, and playing a sweet, affable, even sexy lug with an abundance of honesty, humor and heart. ![]()
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