"Enough Said" (2013)

Enough Said's title is deceptive. More than enough has been said, and yet we could still stand to hear a bit more and not feel as though too much had been said or that it had not been said well. Writer-director Nicole Holofcener's dialogue sparkles and it rings true. It's spoken by actors well-equipped to dish low-key, witty, smart banter. Eva (Julia Louis-Drefyus) is a divorced and currently single forty-something. She's a masseuse growing tired of the strange customers her profession draws, and a mother who feels as though she's slowly losing touch with her college bound daughter. She meets Albert (James Gandolfini) at a party and soon after begins dating him, but unbeknownst to her she has also met Albert's ex-wife Marianne (Katherine Keener), who becomes her latest client. There are screwy comedic machinations at work that cause Eva to build strong relationships with Albert and Marianne before making the connection that they're former spouses. But if you look past these plot contrivances there is a wonderful and honest looks at people of a certain age. Eva and Albert's romance is sweet and earnest, and tempered by an uncertainty towards dating at this point in their life. They bond over their mutual circumstances, divorces and children about to leave home, and Holofcener takes seriously these small, personal conflicts and drama. The world's not at stake but in its intimate, warm, inviting way Enough Said makes us care for and understand these people. We can recognize a bit of ourselves or perhaps people in our own lives.

Grade: ★★★