The Savages

Some of you may have heard of this movie, but all of you should see it. Now out on DVD, The Savages (IMDb) is a great movie, one that proves a few things -- Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney are two of the best working actors today, women are becoming more prominent in the movie industry as writer/directors (Sofia Coppola and Julie Delpy and Sarah Polley also come to mind), and that dramedy, or dark comedy, will always be one of the best genres.

The Savages delicately tells the story of brother and sister Jon and Wendy Savage (PSH and Laura Linney) as they deal with their father's dementia. The joys of this movie are scenes where, for example, Lenny Savage (the father, Philip Bosco) goes quiet in a bathroom, requiring a check-up from the house help. Due to countless lesser movies, one assumes he committed suicide. I won't ruin the surprise, but the alternative is both sad and hilarious.

In Arizona, where Lenny lives, his girlfriend of 20 years passes away, which means he is now in the care of his two children. They both live in New York, though Wendy is in New York City trying to make it as a drama writer, and Jon is in Buffalo teaching drama at the college level.

Both of our protagonists are intelligent, yet fail to grasp on to the essentials of traditional happy living. Raised by their irritable father and abandoned by their mother, Wendy is trapped in an affair with a married man, while Jon can't commit to marrying his girlfriend from Poland, even though that means her visa will expire and she has to leave the country. These characters have a good heart, but are simply unaware of how to use it. We see them attending meetings for dementia awareness, but they're more concerned with the refreshment table than getting a good seat.

Or, when in the nursing home, the embarrassment of Jon and Wendy as they screen The Jazz Singer for their father's enjoyment. Naturally, the scene where blackface is on screen is a bit awkward in front of the mostly black-staffed nursing home. Of course, Jon tries to explain how the movie needs to be taken in historical context with the time period, but Wendy is much more concerned about leaving the building, so much that they make for the stairs instead of the elevator.

The movie is a string of scenes like these, which seem a sad subject matter laced with bits of humor. Looking back, I honestly think this movie should have won the Original Screenplay Oscar over Juno. And I loved Juno. Laura Linney over Marion Cotillard? Maybe not. But this is a great movie and one that should be seen by all.

Rating: 7/7

Here is a decent trailer that almost does the movie justice: