The Savages (2007)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Tamara Jenkins

Writer:

Tamara Jenkins (written by)

Release Date:

17 January 2008 (Singapore)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.

Plot Keywords:

Dementia | Midlife Crisis | Magic Realism | Old Man | Aging Parent

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 12 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Nov. 17

4:40 AM

MAX

Cast

Laura Linney	...	Wendy Savage
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Jon Savage
Philip Bosco	...	Lenny Savage
Peter Friedman	...	Larry
David Zayas	...	Eduardo
Gbenga Akinnagbe	...	Jimmy
Cara Seymour	...	Kasia
Tonye Patano	...	Ms. Robinson
Guy Boyd	...	Bill Lachman
Debra Monk	...	Nancy Lachman
Rosemary Murphy	...	Doris Metzger
Hal Blankenship	...	Burt
Joan Jaffe	...	Lizzie
Sage Kirkpatrick	...	Real Estate Agent (as Laura Palmer)
Salem Ludwig	...	Mr. Sperry

Also Known As:

La famille Savage (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
A Família Savage (Brazil) [pt]
Die Geschwister Savage (Germany) [de]
Familjen Savage (Sweden) [sv]
La famiglia Savage (Italy) [it]
La familia Savage (Argentina) [es]
Rodzina savage (Poland) (poster title) [pl]
The Savages (Greece) (festival title) [el]

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality and language.

Runtime:

114 min | USA:113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (Approved No. 43278) | Canada:14A | Ireland:15A | Singapore:NC-16 | Germany:12 | Brazil:12 | Sweden:Btl | Hong Kong:IIA | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-7 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating)

Filming Locations:

Buffalo, New York, USA

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

One of two films released in the same year co-starring Philip Seymour Hoffman which center around sibling relationships. The other is Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

Goofs:

Continuity: When Larry drives to Buffalo to pick-up Wendy for the day, he brings his dog, the cat, and the house-plant. They all leave together and when they end up in the hotel room, the dog is gone. Then when Larry drops off Wendy back at John's house, she has her cat and house-plant but Larry's dog is still missing.

Quotes:

Jon Savage: We don't have to go after him Wendy; we're not in a Sam Shepard play.

Movie Connections:

Features Night and the City (1950)

Soundtrack:

You Make Me Feel So Young

Getting Even with Dad

"The Savages" has been terribly mismarketed. I'm sure plenty of people who went to watch it having seen only the previews, thought it was a comedy, and were disappointed. If anything, this is a "dramedy" - it will make you smile a few times, but never laugh out loud. But that's not a bad thing, the other way around.

This is a story about two siblings, Wendy (Laura Linney, who earned a surprise - and much deserved - Oscar nomination for this performance) and Jon Savage (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who have to take care of their ailing, estranged father, Lenny (Philip Bosco). Fathers and kids relationships have been discussed in tons of movies, but Tamara Jenkins (real life wife of Jim Taylor, co-author of Alexander Payne's scripts - they both produced this movie, by the way) managed to create something fresh and beautiful in its own simplicity (and, at the same time, so complex and painfully real, for all of those who've had difficult family relationships - and who hasn't?). "The Savages" reminds me of Noah Baumbach's "The Squid and the Whale", also starring Laura Linney - but with a little less humor, and perhaps even more heart. Hoffman and Bosco are also great, as usual. Jenkins proves that she's a very sensitive writer/director, and I'm excited to check whatever she does next. I'm rooting for either her or Diablo Cody ("Juno") to win the Oscar for best original screenplay next month (coincidentally, both movies have The Velvet Underground's "I'm Sticking With You" in the soundtrack). 10/10.