The Savages - One of the most under rated movies of 2007!

I saw The Savages yesterday and liked it, too. Laura Linney and Philip Seymour-Hoffman, as the son and daughter of the dotty father, were both terrific. There are no actors working who are more talented. I thought it interesting that Linney was cast as the younger sibling, although Seymour-Hoffman is 3 years her junior. It made sense, though, because she really does look younger. Philip Bosco, as their father, was terrific, too. He is a prolific TV actor, who is currently in Damages.

Possible spoilers ahead.

I had never heard of the movie's writer and director, Tamara Jenkins, but she does good work. This was a smart, funny, entertaining film. Jenkins made an interesting choice not to tell us too much of the back story but to reveal the family's quirks in brief insights. We learn early on, for example, that the Linney character is a fabulist, who is not averse to taking some liberties with the truth. I was also impressed with how Jenkins foreshadowed the impending death of the aged and infirm father. It was clever and it worked. Highly recommended.

Very good movie.
It's very real and not exactly light material, but it was done very well.

We had a similar situation a few weeks ago and it rang true all the way.
Thankfully, we're separated enough from it to see the humor in it.

This one is on its way from NF...should have it tomorrow. Looking forward to watching it.

I too just watched this film for the first time the other day. Outstanding acting and great screenplay. One of the best family comedy/drama's I've seen in quite some time....

The Savages Won a few Spirit Awards for this film:

Best Male Lead: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Best Screenplay: Tamara Jenkins

The Savages had a very real feel to it and one that lots of people should be able to relate to. It was ok, but nothing I'm anxious to watch again anytime soon. I had to lol when Phil was in traction and tried to eat and speak. That scene was really funny to me.

Yeah, good movie. Something everyone can relate to. Laura Linney was INCREDIBLE.

not trying to spoil the party or be odd man out but this was far from being one of under rated of 2007. It was flat, uninteresting, average and trying too hard to be dysfuctional which made it contrived and forced. It's not because i don't like this type of film, something similar like About Smchidt was done much better and was more enjoyable.

That was my take on it too. Worse yet, these issues (aging demented parents) are issues I see every day so it was double yuck.

I was hesitant to watch this. Especially after the last 2 posts. But it had such a high rating on Rotten Tomatos (not that I always agree with RT) that I decided to watched it last night. Plus, I had already recevied it from Netflix, so what the heck. It wasn't as depressing as I thought it would be. In fact I caught myself laughing at several points. It is one of those 'human condition' films though, and will tug at you emotionally. For me I have to be in the right mood for these types of films, and they better be good on top of that. In the end this film worked for me, and I would also recommend it.

Rutgar -- I, too, disagree with those negative assessments of The Savages. Like Philadelphia Eagles fans, some folks would boo Santa Claus.

As noted in my earlier post I was impressed with the writing and direction but the heart and soul of the film lay in its performances, particularly those of Seymour-Hoffman and Linney.

Yes, the actors sold this film. I also couldn't help but think of Linney's character as the darker more realistic friend that we never get to see of the four, single, white, females we all know and love who also are living in New York.

Excelleent movie! Great story. Great actors. Very good audio mix.

Agreed this is a fabulous drama ...

I dont think this movie got a single bad review from the press either ... they all seem to like it.
It is a bit slow, at first I thought i was just watching a non-funny "Little Miss Sunshine", but this is a deeper movie and hits so close to home, for almost everyone.

Kids may not like it though, i didnt even try to get my teenagers to see it.

I agree with many of the opinions here, however these are the kind of movies I could rarely watch again, because I mostly like more positive or "escapist" pictures that takes away from my own life's problems, not reminding me of them. Still a good movie, and worth to see for the performances alone if not for the subject matter.

I agree that The Savages, although a fine film, is difficult fare, indeed. I have seen it twice because I wasn't sure that I had got to the bottom of it the first time through. Nevertheless, it may take awhile for me to work up the emotional energy to sit through it again. I feel the same way about another Philip Seymour Hoffman movie, Before the Devil Knows your dead. Despite my abiding admiration of its art, when it showed up on one of the pay cable channels recently, I recorded it but found that I couldn't get through it again.