Enough Said

I will shamefully admit that when I started to hear some of the buzz generated by Nicole Holofcener’s Enough Said, I figured much of it was simply due to James Gandolfini’s recent death. But I am pleased to stand corrected on that naïve preconception. At the center of this romantic comedy are two television legends (Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus from The Sopranos and Seinfeld respectfully) that share a tremendous amount of chemistry in their big screen roles. The film is not afraid to show the embarrassingly ugly side of its characters, which is great because it shows that couples do not have to be perfect in order to be perfect for each other.

Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a divorced masseuse who is not looking forward to having the one person who keeps her company at home, her daughter Ellen (Tracey Fairaway), leave for college soon. Eva is the kind of person who is not afraid to call people out for littering, though the fact she drives a Prius makes that not all surprising. She attends a party only as a favor to her friend Sarah (Toni Collette) and ironically ends up meeting a man named Albert (James Gandolfini) after making a comment about how there are zero attractive males at the party. At that same party, she has a funny encounter with a woman named Marianne (Catherine Keener) who ends up becoming a future client and close friend.

When Eva and Albert begin to date it is incredibly easy to want them to last because their relationship feels so sincere. Even on the first date they were both tastefully cracking jokes at one another about getting old, but most importantly they were smiling and laughing the entire time. Developing equally as fast is her relationship with her new friend and client Marianne. But just when the two agree to hang out more often, Eva tragically finds out that Albert is the person who Marianne complains about all the time. Soon she must make the difficult decision between staying friends with Marianne or continuing to date Albert.

Obesity is an interesting issue that gets brought up many times throughout Enough Said. At first she is unsure about dating Albert because of his weight, but eventually looks past it after warming up to his personality. However, because of her close friendship with Marianne, Eva is constantly reminded about his flaws, such as his perpetual failed attempts to lose weight. Suddenly she cannot help but obsessively focus on his eating habits. At a movie theater she observes how much butter is in his large popcorn and the size of the soda he drinks. This situation of starting to notice the flaws in someone you are dating is a common occurrence, but it is one that is rarely shown this well.

Nothing that happens in Enough Said comes as a surprise because the situations unfold exactly how you would expect them to, however, the fact that the film is so enjoyable despite knowing what will happen makes it all that more impressive. The splendid performances by the two leads and the perfect pacing of Enough Said help create an entertaining romantic comedy that is actually worth watching.

Enough Said trailer