Review of Please Give (2010) by Alice S — 14 Jan 2011
Once again, Ryan Hibbett, I must disappoint thee. I think Nicole Holofcener has ridden the white-liberal-ennui train end-to-end, all the way to the place where the trains turn around. And trust me, you don't ever want to see where the trains turn around. (A ham-handed HIMYM reference, I know.).
As with the rest of her oeuvre, Holofcener's easily hateable characters revel in the muck and mire of their own neuroses. They have too much of everything but don't do enough of anything. Unlike Lovely & Amazing and Friends With Money, however, in which rich people rising up from moneyed oppression are tangential but still poignant subplots, Please Give's entire plot is one nearly squeezed-dry lemon - recycled, reduced, and reused.
Perhaps I'm being too harsh since the two aforementioned films are such gems in my book. This film isn't terrible. Holofcener's trademark mundanities and little crimes of shame still shine through. Kate breaking down at meeting a mentally-challenged girl with her daughter's name. Alex's never-atoned-for affair with Mary.
This review of Please Give (2010) was written by Alice S on 14 Jan 2011.
Please Give has generally received positive reviews.
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