Year of Release: 2003
Director: Nancy Meyers
Starring: Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Frances McDormand, Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau, Paul Michael Glaser, Rachel Ticotin
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review:
After her first successful directorial outings, Nancy Meyers hit her stride with "Something's Gotta Give", which made its debut late 2003 to considerable commercial and critical acclaim. The film follows the story of Harry Sanborn and Erica Barry. They initially meet when Erica's daughter, Marin, comes for a visit, and Harry is the man she's dating. When a medical emergency lands him in the Hospital, Erica ends up being the one taking care of him. What is a casual acquaintance, becomes something else, as they both become enamored of each other, though Harry has a habit of dating much younger women. "Something's Gotta Give" is a film that lives primarily by the presence of the actors that the director has successfully cast. Nancy Meyers has by now created a body of work, that is primarily dominated by an environment and universe where everyone is wealthy, caucasian and whose houses always look like they just came out from a House & Garden magazine. It's an artificial world, one that only gets a dash of life due to the fantastic actors that keep popping up. In this case, the film focuses on the double standards that exist in the relationships between older men and younger women, and on the opposite rulings that surface when older women date younger men. It's a theme lightly touched (during a very appropriately lit dinner setting), but one that allows for the actors to be relaxed, and maintain a flow that feels easy and mature. Diane Keaton in particular has never been better - her performance is one filled with nuance, warmth and humor. Jack Nicholson is very much himself, and the supporting cast doesn't have much to do, aside from looking great (which they do). The cinematography from the late and great Michael Ballhaus is stunning. It's a film that is light and airy, unoffensive, but also instantly forgettable, save for the performances of its leads.
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