ENOUGH SAID

year: 2013 cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Toni Collette, Tavi Gevinson rating: ***

There's a 90’s romantic comedy called MR WONDERFUL not too many people remember – probably because it isn’t that good. The plot had Matt Dillon trying to set up with ex wife with one of many blue-collar workmates so that hopefully, after she marries, he won’t have to pay alimony. What does this have to do with ENOUGH SAID, the last movie starring the late James Gandolfini?

Well in MR WONDERFUL, James played an extremely sweet and shy man who also had a mysterious quality, making you want more… and the scene only lasts a few minutes. That’s the first impression of an actor mostly known for his lethal gruffness as a mafia patriarch in THE SOPRANOS. So it's not a huge surprise that James can play a role with subtle charm and cozy humor – one that doesn’t entail anyone getting “whacked” in the process.

But our main character is television staple Julia-Louis Dreyfus, who fares pretty well on the big screen as hard working masseuse and single mother, Eva. Her daughter is soon off to college and her best friend suggests she, like in all rom-coms, find a man. There’s only one she kind of likes at a party, although he’s got a weight problem and yet… something clicks.

Gandolfini plays Albert with casual dignity, and not without a slight edge. Especially after Eva starts picking apart his shortcomings. He can’t figure out the sudden change in this woman whose second date in a backyard ended successfully in the bedroom. But the audience knows full well what’s going on. The twist and plotline are simple enough: Eva’s new client, an earthy poetess who can’t say a good word about her ex husband, is also becoming a pretty good friend. It turns out Catherine Keener’s Marianne was married to Albert, and after hearing so many gripes, ranging from guacamole dip to sexual performance, Eva takes a second (and third and fourth and fifth) glance at the man she thought she really liked.

While not downright hilarious, the humor's as subtle as the characters, who fit like an old shoe right off the bat. And while it’s not easy picturing them in the romantic sense… like imagining somebody’s parents “doing it”… they're a couple who can be themselves together. Which is the best thing ENOUGH SAID has to offer… And that’s saying something.