It was never going to be an easy task to watch the last film the great James Gandolfini made, but the fact that this is arguably one of his best performances makes the entire affair a lot easier. Gandolfini was a TV giant, the Sopranos paving the way for not only a golden era of TV for HBO but arguably for the rest of the channels who tried to keep up with its magnificence. However, outside of his performance as Tony Soprano, Gandolfini had little chance to shine, always typecast as the infamous mob leader he could never get away from.
His roles have never been obvious choices, he often played the excellent supporting character in a much more famous lead cast like Zero Dark Thirty where he played the CIA Director or Killing Them Softly with his character Mickey. One thing is very clear however, Gandolfini was taken from us at far too young an age, just 51, with most of his career still ahead of him. Enough Said proves just that.
Directed by Nicole Holofcener, she of Friends with Money and I Hate That I Love You fame, Enough Said is far from your typical rom-com. The story follows Eva, a divorced middle-aged masseuse who runs into Gandolfini’s Albert at a party she attends with friends. Albert asks for her number and the pair embark on a few dates. Much to Eva’s surprise, she grows to really like Albert even though she professes that he is someone she would never have gone for before.
Events take a turn for the worst however when Eva discovers that one of her new clients, Marianne (Keener) who she also met at the party, is actually Albert’s ex-wife. On top of that, Marianne and Eva become quite close and so Eva is treated to all the ups and downs of her marriage to Albert, which inevitably begins to colour her opinion of him with dire consequences.
Even though the script for Enough Said makes the film, it is certainly the cast that makes it come to life. Gandolfini is like the gentle giant as Albert, sweet, upfront and caring, it reminds us more of reports of what Gandolfini was actually like in real life and is a million miles away from Tony Soprano. In fact, this may be the only film you will not associate him with the mob giant.
Julie Louis-Dreyfuss is brilliant, the woman is obviously not getting enough work and most certainly should be getting a lot more, she is beyond funny and charming. The rest of the cast, including Toni Collette, all put in believably human performances, even if they are a little more wealthy than most.
There is very little you can say that is bad about this film, it is just incredibly sweet and inoffensive. Certainly one that should be checked out.
