The Savages

Alternatingly depressing and uncomfortably funny, The Savages is a well-written showcase for two of our finest actors. Three, actually. I've thought Laura Linney is one of our finest actresses since Tales of the City and Truman Show. Philip Seymour Hoffman also gets better and better in every role. Their work together in The Savages is nothing short of genius.

Director and Writer Tamara Jenkins has given us a film of great complexity. Wendy and Jon Savage are suddenly forced to care for their father, Lenny (also played with great complexity and sensitivity by Philip Bosco), as he slips into dementia. Two grown children, neglected by their father (and mother, for that matter) for many years suddenly become his primary caregivers. Forced to deal with their strained relationship with their father and their strained relationship with each other,

It's not pretty. This history has left both Wendy and Jon damaged. Wendy has been having a longterm affair with a married man in her building, and Jon can't connect with his Polish girlfriend. Both struggle in their jobs.

But there's a real beauty in the way the relationship unfolds. The writing, the acting, the complexity and the subtlety make for a fine film that leaves you a little sad, a little drained, and grateful for having seen it.