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starring: Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco, Peter Friedman, David Zayas directed by: Tamara Jenkins  Binding: Video On Demand Release Date: October 01, 2008 Running Time: 115 minutes Studio: Fox Searchlight Theatrical Release Date: November 28, 2007 Related Items:
Average Rating:
 Rating: - mid-life humor meets family heartacheWhen the elderly Lenny has a "toileting incident," and his girl friend Doris dies, his baby boomer children from whom he has been long estranged travel from New York to Sun City, Arizona, to care for their dad. Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Wendy (Laura Linney) relocate Lenny to Buffalo, New York, where they put him in a "nursing home." There are curled family photos to sort through, bingo twice a week, reams of forms to sign, and palpable angst about what they've done and how everyone will cope. ... Read More Rating: - Pulls very few punchesBilled as a dark comedy, 'The Savages' is certainly not standard movie fare but I think it's a film that we're richer for having around. Many have tackled end-of-life issues before but very few have done it like this. It is an unsentimental, unapologetic, slice-of-life depiction of two middle aged siblings, Linney (in an Oscar-nominated turn) and Hoffman, managing the rapid mental deterioration and death of their estranged, abusive father and the process - physiological and logistical - that entails. ... Read More Rating: - REALHoffman is first rate, as always. I've never really been a Linney fan, but I could really relate to this character. Bosco was brilliant. I can only say this film's portrayal of the scenario was REAL. It struck a nerve... was raw, intense, funny at times, ironic. A real treasure of acting and filmmaking. Rating:  - The Fruits of NarcissismIt is hard to watch a movie when none of the characters are likable enough to even care about them. The father and son's characters seemed believable to me, but Wendy completely lost me. But then what would one expect from a forty year old spinster whose lofty relationship aspiration is a love-HATE affair with a married man? Watch the movie for the men's acting, but don't expect to get any edification on family relationships. The best I can say for this movie is that it raises the question (but gives ... Read More Rating: - Savagely trite "indie film"From the opening scene on, it is apparent the director is taking cues from "indie" movies of the past couple decades and exploring well-worn territory. The actors are forced to play scarcely likeable charcters and deliver lines of dialogue better suited for a TV program on the WB network. Have I mentioned I didn't like this movie? Sure, it offers something different than your average Hollywood pile of hackneyed vomit, but it lacks the substance of truly moving cinema and instead employs cheap tactics ... Read More 
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