I’m surprised no one else has pointed out that the plot of Enough Said sounds like one of the fake movies from “Seinfeld.” She’s dating him, but she’s also his ex-wife’s masseuse! Hilarity ensues because how could that ever work? It would be a great double feature with Rochelle, Rochelle or Sack Lunch. The masseuse could team up with the Butler from George Costanza’s pilot.
Enough Said is a well done, likable romantic-comedy, in that all romantic comedies ask you to accept that something which really shouldn’t be a problem for two adults to work out rationally, would actually be an insurmountable hurdle that needs to be kept a secret until it becomes more of a sociopathic deception than an innocent plot twist. Nora Ephron would be proud.
Louis-Dreyfus and Gandolfini are indeed very likable people, although I’m not sure why it’s such a surprise that Tony Soprano can also play a nice guy. Acting! I can look beyond the artificial shenanigans as much as the next guy, and Enough Said certainly does coast on charm, which is more than we can say for obnoxious, reprehensible rom-coms like The Ugly Truth or Valentine’s Day or Love and Other Drugs (jerking off to your brother’s sex tape is not funny, no matter how hot his girlfriend is). It’s a big enough deal that a romantic comedy stars two actors outside the 20-something demographic, so bravo just for showing a fuller spectrum of relationships.
I’m a little disappointed that the whole “mature romance” movie can’t be bothered to have its heroine act, you know, mature. When Eva finds out she’s been hearing dirty secrets about her new beau, she behaves like a crazy person. I’d like to believe that in her situation, I would have the presence to think, “You know, this person has a bias that does not relate to me and, in fact, many of the traits that bothered her not only do not bother me, but some of them I find endearing, thus making Albert a much better match for myself than he was for her.” I don’t see how it’s any funnier to see Eva make passive-aggressive digs at her newly illuminated complaints.
Wouldn’t it be even more poignant if Eva actually did learn something from Marianne that gave her a conflict with Albert? Then she’ll have to deal with it but not let him know where she learnt it. In Enough Said, Eva is only learning about superficial habits that she now projects should annoy her, but probably wouldn’t have if they’d just come up in the normal course of a relationship.
Enough Said also makes accurate observations about relationships and people in general while stopping just short of actual commentary. Just presenting that some people are tempted to eat just because there’s food nearby or that maids put things in places they don’t belong isn’t funny. They’re both true. I relate to both of those issues. Eva’s temptation is bread, but I can’t keep peanut butter in the house for the same reason. Her friend’s maid puts hairbrushes in the kitchen drawer. My maids always put stuff where I don’t know where it is, and it’s a different maid every month so it’s never consistent. That’s not a funny observation though. Truth is quite often the best basis for humor, but it has to be true and funny, not just true. The scene about loud music in the restaurant when you’re trying to actually talk is pretty good though.
The Blu-ray looks great. It’s a 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment release from their Searchlight arm, but it looks as sharp and bright as any studio rom-com. I’m sure some asshole is going to point out how the high definition reveals the actors’ “flaws.” That’s just THE MEDIA making you feel like you’re entitled to be judgmental. I genuinely like the way real people look and I welcome a format enhancing their beauty. No qualifiers here. They’re not beautiful “despite” being older. They’re just beautiful.
The bonus features are brief, a collection of short featurettes promoting the film in digestible soundbites, and some outtakes. Gandolfini did not give an interview as it looks like the soundbites come from a junket interview after the film wrapped, and probably after he passed away. There weren’t interviews from on the set. There is a reasonable amount of Gandolfini tribute in the extras, and the outtakes have a lot of dancing.
This was a very critical review for a movie that is good overall. Enough Said is entirely watchable and entertaining, it’s just no less formulaic than the higher concept rom-coms.
Fred Topel is a staff writer at CraveOnline and the man behind Best Episode Ever and The Shelf Space Awards. Follow him on Twitter at @FredTopel.
