Review of Please Give (2010) by Akiyo H — 18 Jul 2010

I usually can tell if I will like a movie in the first five minutes. Watching bare breasts one after the other plop on an x ray machine plate was a hilarious opening. In this age of economic recession and attendant misery, it would have been nice if this film had some joyous and uplifting moments, which is a message I'd like to get across to all screen writers. In the thirties and fourties the motive of movies was to entertain by giving the viewers an escapist happy experience, leaving them in a happy mood. I often come away from watching a film thinking, if anybody died, it wasn't very uplifting. However, when the granny in this movie dies, it seems to solve a lot of people's problems. The old woman was irritatingly funny in her take on reality and general hatred of life. Her one grand daughter shows a sweet sweet spirit in all that she says and does. The other one is reeling from a romantic breakup, and has turned into something of a stalker and provider of sex to a married man. Perhaps a normal reaction for some younger women, of suddenly having the lack of lust in her life.

His wife, is clearly unhappy with her business of paying so little for estate sale furniture, yet ignoring the misery of a straying husband and pimply adolescent daughter. The homeless beggers don't seem to be particularly grateful for the $20 bills she is handing out, all the while denying her daughter of a pair of jeans that she wants. I walked out of the movie after it ended in the hour and a half thinking, that was long enough. The bitter aftertaste a morning later made me determined to write my first review. Technically the movie was excellent, with terrific acting. But the life style presented here smelled to high heaven.