Somethings Gotta Give

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Growing up with such notable films as Beach Party Bingo I’m living proof that teenage romantic comedy’s are not the most recent commercial brainchild of Hollywood, but in fact have been around for longer than Geritol. The difference between 1960 and now is that trying to find a good adult ‘rocom’ (that’s Hollywood talk) these days is about as easy as finding a guiltless party in the boardroom of Enron. And there’s nothing funny, or romantic about that.

Something’s Gotta Give has a number of prominent problems that the critic’s are chewing into gimcrackery simply for the sake of something to say, but all-in-all it rides high on performance, compelling scene construction and dialogue. With cast members Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Amanda Peet, Keanu Reeves and Frances Mcdormand there is enough talent to keep anyone involved, even though the movie might be too long for it’s own good.

Harry Langer (Nicholson), rich bachelor and senior playboy likes women, exclusively the under-thirty set. At 63 Harry still struts like ... well, like Jack Nicholson. On a weekend tryst to the Hamptons with, much younger girlfriend Marin (Peet) Harry’s libido loses out to his ticker and with heart-attack in hand he gets stuck with Marin’s mother, Erica Barry (Keaton). Harry wears silk pajamas, smokes expensive cigars and owns a leading Hip-Hop record label. Erica writes intuitive, award winning Broadway plays, wears flannel nightwear and doesn’t allow smoking in the house. Shades of African Queen! The two, despite their initial dislike for each other, are thrown together and suffer through forced interaction until it takes hold.

Love is something that both main characters have avoided most of their lives. A divorcee, Erica has hidden behind her uniform of turtle-necks, affected smiles and computer keyboard for years. Harry, on the other hand, has charmed love out of his life by dating only women that are too far from the clock to hear it ticking. For Erica, love happens all too quickly. A late evening offer to make pancakes leads to a scene that is both titillating and honest in it’s warmth. Anyone who has looked into the eye’s of another and felt that feeling that could kick-start a 747 Jumbo Jet will love this scene.

Harry has a ways to go, and that is the rest of the movie. With an audience of mature women in mind, Writer/Director Nancy Meyers (What Women Want, Parent Trap), gives Erica her very own young love interest who comes in the flavor of Harry’s 38-year-old Doctor. A simple ploy that doesn’t fool anyone for a moment, Julian (Reeves) plays the other man role just long enough for Harry to realize that he might lose the only woman he has ever been in love with. But we all know what happens in the end, and unfortunately the end, which is laid out as a plot twist, terminates more like a well defined plot undulation.

What you are familiar with, the scene of Nicholson falling against the wall at the sight of a naked Keaton, is funny yet there are funnier scenes that await. Both Keaton and Nicholson give wonderful performances and one of the best, by McDormand, could have been bolstered by seeing more of her in this film. Critical movie issues aside, Something’s Gotta Give has enough to give to make it worth seeing.