I was worried that PLEASE GIVE, the first of this week’s six new home releases placed in front of me to review was to be the one that every one else liked and the one that I loathed. I am one of those film critics who just hates this sort of film. Neurotic, ensemble, quirky, middle-class dramedy’s that I neither often ‘get’ or enjoy.
Nicole Holofcener‘s film is an ensemble piece set in modern day New York City and revolves around a middle-aged couple, antique dealers Kate and Alex, played by Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt, and their troublesome teenage daughter . The couple, who seem to spend all of their time together and have subsequently have seemed to have got bored of one another, spend their days rifling through recently deceased people belongings, dealing with their next of kin to filter out hidden gems, offering a price and then marking it up to sell in their Manhattan store. Then there is Rebecca (Rebecca Hall) and Mary (Amanda Peet), granddaughters of Kate and Alex’s neighbour Andra (Ann Guilbert), two girls that are literally polar opposites of one another. Rebecca on the one hand looks after her eighty-odd year old grandmother by shopping for her and walking her dog pretty much on a daily basis, and then there’s Mary, who prefers to sun herself on tanning beds across town and spend as little time with Andra as possible. One evening, Kate and Alex invite Rebecca and Mary to dinner and the two worlds collide and unlikely friendships are formed.
As mentioned above, I was a little wary of this film going into it, but I was actually pleasently surprised. Sure, there is not a lot of plot two it, and essentially it’s more about character than story, though writer/ director Holofcener takes us on an interesting journey into the lives of these diverse people, whose lives interconnect through a series of events. The acting is top notch with worth mentions going to the ever reliable Keener and the stunning Rebecca Hall who you may remember from Woody Allen‘s VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. Oliver Platt, who seems to be enjoying a little career resurgence after roles in this and the recent theatrical release of LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS, is also excellent as the slobbish middle-aged, middle-class husband, going through a mid-life crisis with infatuations and lustings after a woman half his age.
This film will definitely not be for everyone, but I actually enjoyed it. It’s funny, in places heartbreaking, and I love the central message; ‘giving,’ which the title suggests (or pretty much gives away) always present in it’s themes and at the film’s core.
It’s very Woody Allen, not surprising given Holofcener’s association with the filmmaker, and fans of him will find a lot to like here.
Grade: B+
The Extras:
PLEASE GIVE is presented with a pretty good, informative behind the scenes featurette, as well as Q+A clips with the director, which give a great insight into her vision of the film and the production and ideas behind it, as well as an outtakes reel.
PLEASE GIVE is release on UK DVD on Moday January 10th, 2011.
Watch the trailer for the film here.
