This film is aptly positioned as a ‘coming of middle-age’ drama. A very mature and believable take on two siblings, who lead dysfunctional lives, who need to now care for their very old and sick father; someone who was abusive bringing them up. It’s a story of realizing the course that life has taken and coming to terms with it, to deal better with the present and future.
Jon and Wendy Savage are suddenly called upon to care for their father Lenny, when his girlfriend dies on him, at a ripe old age. Jon is a theater professor and is in a four-year relationship with a Polish woman who must return to Krakow because her visa has expired. Wendy is an aspiring playwright who is in a directionless relationship with a married man, 13 years her senior. They take a break from their fractured lives to find their father an old age home to spend his final years in and in the process, discover that they feel something for him, despite the past and more importantly, it gives them an opportunity to step away from their lives and look at it objectively.
Tamara Jenkins’ screenplay is searching and it leads you deep into the psyche of these two individuals as they come to grips with their own lives and the responsibility that is upon them. She uses everyday settings and visuals as much as dialogue to convey to the viewer so much about the character’s lives. For instance, the complete lack of passion in Wendy’s life is superbly shown as she starts touching the hand of her lover’s dog and taking interest in him as he watches them when they are ‘at it’.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney as the siblings deliver outstanding performances, Linney being nominated for an Academy Award in the best actress category. Their understanding of the material and physical transformation into the characters is so well done that you believe it is Jon and Wendy out there and not Phillip and Laura. Their measured, multi-layered performances are the two pillars on which this film stands tall.
Watch ‘The Savages’ if you want to see a mature drama enacted by first rate actors and supported by well written material. You won’t be disappointed.