Savage Realities…
Aging and death are not popular topics. Neither is family dysfunction. Nursing home decision does not exactly ring of putting butts in theater seats. But these themes are woven together skillfully in the movie The Savages, written and directed by Tamara Jenkins. The result is a moving poignant film that has a touch of hilarity here and there, a face-to-face encounter with the harsh reality that most of us are or will be facing. The film delivers an irreverent, insightful and truthful view of aging, death and family dysfunction, featuring superb work by Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney.
If you have aging parents or thoughts of someday getting older yourself, you should see this movie.
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Winston,
Thank you for reminding me to move this film up to the top of my Netflix queue. LL and PSH are two of my favorite actors.
About the aging: for a lot of us it’s a time of facing the demise and mortality of our parents; which naturally brings us face to face with our own.
Art, literature and film always help me get through the rough spots. Thanks for this.
Pagan
No thanks! I may have to face that someday but right now I am going to enjoy life to the fullest. I’ve been through that with my father. I don’t need a movie to remind me.
Finally! I’m done with school so that I can devote some time to catching up on my blog-reading.
I’ve been wanting to see this film, and for the very reasons you list here. It’s useful to be reminded of our parents’ mutability–and our own.