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Best movie ever!

An action-packed slog

A Major Disappointment

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Father got dementia and had to be removed out because his girlfriend died. Because of this, a brother and a sister, who used to compete with each other and do not have a taste for each other, reunited to take care of their father. Both of them were brought up by their abusive father so both has some twists in their mind. The sister is not calming, over lust, while the brother is bad tempered too.They found more about each other's life when taking care of his father. They mocked each other at first and do not understand, make fun of the weakness of the other when they find their real life, but both of them are trying their best to take care of their father, and at the end they learned to appreciate each other. The brother appreciates the sister's play, despite that she was rejected. The sister hopes the best of the brothers conference at Poland, where his girlfriend lives.although at the end their father died, and 'this is it', their relationship revives.

Tamara Jenkins' breakthrough indie drama-comedy THE SAVAGES, surprisingly captured 2 Oscar nominations back in 2008 , one for the unmistakably excellent Laura Linney and a BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY nomination for herself, so freshly coined as an Oscar nominee and subsequently granted the membership of the academy , allegedly her next project should be on the horizon at any time, nevertheless, as a telling manifest of the shameful situation of female directors in the movie industry, 8 years has passed, we still have no news of Tamara's follow-up to her excellent work, a life-affirming dissection of the worst-case scenario for (almost) every grown-up - how to fulfil our responsibility, when we must become the caretaker of our aging parents during their last days. Linney and the late Hoffman are siblings Wendy and Jon Savage, she is an amateur playwright and he is a college professor, so both are intellectuals and unmarried, reaching 40, Wendy is still stuck in a dead-end extramarital affair with Larry (Friedman), a 52-year-old married man, who is jollily content with the status quo. Jon, her elder brother 3 years senior, on the other hand, is ending a three-year relationship with her Polish lover Kasia (Seymour), whose visa is about to expire and he has no intention to marry her. If one is solely reading those background information on paper, both Wendy and Jon are not personable characters. Besides, they are not so close to their father Lenny (Bosco, in his fine but irritating persona as a curmudgeon), who is not protected by Common Law Marriage after his long-time girlfriend died and himself is afflicted with dementia and an ailing health, so now it is now the siblings to take care of their deteriorating father. Neither or them can afford to attend to Lenny by themselves, thus some grating words like assisted living, nursing home or rehabilitation centre are dropping by as default, but Lenny is not exactly a mellow old geezer, the film opens with his stomach-churning fecal revenge as one might expect in a slasher horror, the parent-child rapport is never the aim to be soppily achieved by Jenkins' sincerely matter-of-fact script. More importantly, under the dysfunctional family troupe, the storyline steadily builds a re-connection between the two siblings, from the unspoken competition for grants, the guilt-shifting mind-game, to a tacit feeling when Lenny eventually drops dead peacefully, this is what is happening everyday to ordinary people, no "how could this happen to me!" overcompensating drama or "I can't believe it!" emotional wreck, Jenkins is act of genius in singling out the golden touches out of a real-life scenario, and the unexpectedly rosy ending brings about so much hope using just a little gesture, one single scene, to cogently affirm her talent in theatrics. It is no wonder that both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney represent the elite of their peers in Hollywood, together, they are so harmonious with each other's presence while their differences in personality are potently exhibited through their interactions: he is pedantic, aloof but sensible, she is more emotional, ambivalent in her life orbit, and a tad naive, both tainted with some snobbishness from their sophisticated literature background. Their dialogues are spontaneous but scintillating with bons mots and when there are no words needed, the coordination between them can be equally enjoyable to behold. As my said statement, they are not quite likable at first glance, but our judgement will evolve with the story development, when we cruise into the coda, we can all more or less identify ourselves in them, these are two sterling performance equipped with blood and flesh, but as always, LEADING ACTOR race is so packed in 2007, only Linney pounces into my Top 10 LEADING ACTRESS chart, also it is a cruel reminder for me, another superb Hoffman's performance has been crossed out from my watch-list. Finally, I must hail unyieldingly for this under-appreciated indie fare, it enlightens us enormously in how to be a good person, a good son/daughter, and how to correctly face our filial responsibility without being overwhelmed by our own senses of guilt and fear, also hope soon there will be some scoop of Tamara Jenkins' next project, an eight-year gap has already been criminally too long.

The Savages is a tough movie. It deals with unpleasant themes such as mediocrity, failed relationships and taking care of aging relatives who did not do a good job at parenting. The results are excellent, thanks to the outstanding cast and script.It starts on a sarcastic note, with dad Lenny Savage (a great Philip Bosco) behaving badly in sunny Arizona. Lenny is an unpleasant old man, spending his retirement in a senior-only community. When his female companion dies suddenly, we learn that they were not married and that the house belonged to her. The woman's children want Lenny out ASAP, so his two estranged children, Wendy and Jon (equally great Linney and Seymour Hoffman) must come and take him back to the East Coast, where they live.Also due to their difficult childhood – only hinted at - Wendy and Jon have issues of their own, such as being unable to have healthy, long terms relationships. Wendy is involved in a dispassionate affair with a married man and Jon cannot commit to his long-term Polish girlfriend who must leave the US before being deported. The siblings have a strained relationship of their own, fed on the frustration of having both literary ambitions, but holding mundane jobs.The movie develops their relationship nicely, as the only metaphorical ray of sunshine in an otherwise frosty and desolate landscape. Despite the abuse they suffered at the hands of Lenny and a mother who just "left", they try to do their best to care for their hostile, demented dad, who does not show a shred of gratitude. The movie has a sort of melancholic humour and even manages to end with a much needed uplifting note. Definitely top-class film-making for discerning audiences.

"The Savages" is the story of Jon Savage (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a professor in Buffalo, and his sister Wendy Savage, an aspiring New York City playwright. Jon is facing the loss of his girlfriend -- her visa is up and she's returning to Poland -- and he's also working on a book about Berthold Brecht. Wendy is facing middle age, sleeping with a married man and not having a lot of success getting grants for her work.Then both of them are faced with a problem they must face together: the dementia of their elderly father (Philip Bosco) in a place called Sun City in Arizona, where he was living with his girlfriend. She has just died, and her family feels that he is now his children's responsibility.Brother and sister travel to Arizona, bring him back to Buffalo, and place him in a nursing home. Wendy wants him to be in a better place; Jon doesn't think he will know the difference. Jon takes on this responsibility begrudgingly: his father wasn't a great father, in fact, he was abusive; and their mother left the family. Wendy wants to assuage her guilt according to Jon. She takes out her anger by writing plays about her childhood.Realistic, heartwarming, difficult at times, "The Savages" is an excellent movie about a brother and sister bonding in a family crisis, and about coming to terms with an aging parent and their own lives now that their youth is over.This isn't a big movie. It's beautifully directed by Tamara Jenkins. For anyone who has gone through caring for an aging parent, this film will hit home.