ENOUGH SAID

Enough Said--Directed and written by Nicole Holofcener/starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette/93 mins/PG-13

Bifocal Reviews written by Ageless1der, Barbara Rich & The Other Guy

(BR): There was no way I would have missed James Gandolfini’s final film. I just love the guy. Another favorite of mine is Julia Louis-Dreyfus. How refreshing it is to see a normal couple portrayed on the big screen in a relationship that is realistic. We can put the glamour on the back burner in this movie to get a glimpse about how relationships really work in the world. There is very clever dialogue, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus is at her very best with her physical comedy, that was given many opportunities to bloom. She plays a mobile-masseuse, for instance, and at one repeat customer’s home she is forced to carry her heavy table up a narrow flight of stairs. No one does it like her. I don’t want to give away a twist towards the end of the movie, which really completes the tale, but I just want to say that it worked for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, but will always remember that this is the last time I will see Gandolfini perform new material. I miss him already. I give this one three out of four binoculars.

(OG): Once again, the beauty of Bifocals is revealed. For, Barbara and I just don’t see eye-to-eye on this one. I find it head-achingly confusing as to how a reasonable woman would find this film realistic. Though, I have to say, like most men I at least am self-aware enough to know that I don’t understand women at all. That said, I too will miss having an opportunity to see James Gandolfini perform. He was very natural, no matter what the character. However, I don’t think this was his best, though it was good. To me he looked a little tired. Another male friend said to me after viewing the film, “He looked like a heart-attack waiting to happen.” As for Julia Louis-Dreyfus, she was always straining, even in a smile. That, I assume was acting the character, but it still made me uncomfortable to watch. Finally, the story turned on a conceit that was completely UN-believable for me. Barbara doesn’t want me to give away what she deems a twist, but I have to say again: Men and women apparently look at everything differently. For me, the drama of the movie was completely contrived and therefore not that interesting. I am giving this one two binoculars, out of respect for the actors.