Movie Review: "Enough Said" (2013)

Movie: "Enough Said"
Director: Nicole Holofcener
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

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Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a massage therapist and Albert (James Gandolfini) works at a TV library.  They are both middle-aged divorcees with daughters about to go out-of-state to start college. Neither of them are on very good terms with their ex's. After meeting at a party, they begin to date one another. Eva also happens to meet a potentially new client at the party named Marianne (Catherine Keener), a modern poet and, as it turns out, is Albert's ex-wife. Eva begins massaging Marianne while simultaneously dating Albert, but doesn't reveal that she knows they are ex's. The two begin to get serious, but Marianne is in Eva's head, poisoning her about Albert and explaining why their marriage didn't work.

From the moment this movie began, I was in tears.
For some reason, the death of James Gandolfini really, really got to me.
I don't know why and I can't explain it.

And no, I didn't like this movie just because James Gandolfini died.
Let me just say: I think he shines in this movie. He was the perfect choice as Albert, a divorcee who happens to find love at a random party. He's flawed as a character: he is a "slob," he is overweight, he's missing a tooth, his ex-wife complains about everything he ever did while they were married, but he makes Eva laugh, and he treats her well, and they carry on as though they not just lovers, but as if they are friends...he's imperfectly perfect.

This movie was your typical middle aged romantic comedy, trying to find love after getting a divorce/having kids...but for some reason, Dreyfus and Gandolfini just worked together. Their chemistry on-screen worked extremely well, and you actually believe they could be with one another in real life. All of the main players in this movie did a wonderful job. The kids were bratty and annoying, but they were a footnote in an otherwise great rom-com.

As a personal note, Gandolfini's portrayal as Albert reminded me of BigJ, in the nicest way possible. Actually, he was reminded of himself during the movie, too, except "with more hair on his head and less hair on his chest." Sure, we might get on each other's nerves sometime, but he's my imperfectly perfect person. That's the thing about love: you never know where you're going to find it, or if you're right for each other, but for some reason, he and I work together, and I love him with all my heart.

This was the perfect final role for James Gandolfini, and a fantastic send-off into the Hollywood heavens. He will be missed.

My Rating: 8/10
BigJ's Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
Do we recommend this movie: I (enthusiastically) say yes, BigJ says sure, why not?