The Savages

© Fox Searchlight Pictures

The Savages is a painfully realistic story of a brother and sister who must deal with their father's aging. Once they discover that their dad can no longer care for himself they struggle to deal with the necessary consequences as well as their own issues. Through this ordeal, they begin to discover why it is they have trouble being happy in their own lives.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman, with his second Oscar-calibre performance this year, is the brother, Jon. Laura Linney is just as good playing the sister, Wendy. The film is at times funny, depressing, sad, hopeful and frightening. It never steps out of line to please the audience, truly uncompromising. This allows the story to seem completely real to life, and therefore all the more effective. The way the movie is filmed is perfectly in sync with the tone and subject matter. Once again, the acting is so good that it makes the title characters so believable. Because of this, with each mistake they make, you feel genuine disappointment. And as convenient and initially pleasing as it would be, these characters don't turn on a dime. From start to finish they are flawed and partly unlikeable. In an odd way, this actually helps the viewer warm up to them as we can truly take them seriously.

Writer/director Tamara Jenkins does an extraordinary job of creating a accurate tale that we can all relate to, whether or not we have gone through similar crises. Truths are revealed as we learn more about the characters, and ourselves. A great movie.