‘Enough Said’ is a fond farewell for Gandolfini
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I am always fascinated by actors and actresses who try to break out of a certain stereotype or role that they've had.
Over the weekend, I watched "Enough Said," a romantic comedy staring James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Gandolfini, of course, rose to fame with his role in the HBO series "The Sopranos," while Louis-Dreyfus caught her big break as Elaine on the NBC series "Seinfeld." Both of those television shows are iconic. One could argue two of the best shows of all-time, so I wanted to see how they broke character for their roles in the film.
In "Enough Said," Gandolfini plays Albert -- a divorced dad and self-described slob whose ex-wife (Catherine Keener) nitpicked his every quirk, from his avoiding the use of bedside tables to his habit of picking onions out of his guacamole. I can't really blame him on the onion thing, by the way. I pick onions out of everything I eat, because, quite frankly, they're disgusting. But, I digress.
Louis-Dreyfus plays a masseuse named Eva. Eva drags her portable table around Los Angeles while making house calls. She, too, is divorced, and is more wrapped up in mourning the upcoming loss of her college-bound daughter than in looking for a new relationship. When Albert and Eva meet at a party, there isn't a whole lot of chemistry, but they agree to a date anyway.
To their surprise, they hit it off and begin -- gasp -- a relationship. It's interesting to watch the two try to navigate the new relationship. They go on dates, share meals, have sex and wind up meeting the children.
There are some cute moments between the two and some awkward moments as well. For those reasons, "Enough Said" feels a lot like real life.
The plot thickens when Eva picks up Marianne (Keener) as a client. Eva doesn't realize that Marianne is Albert's ex-wife. Once she does, she begins culling Marianne for information. Marianne reveals everything she hated about Albert. Soon enough, Eva is hating those exact same things. Funny how the subconscious works, huh?
I have to say, "Enough Said" really works. It's a dry comedy, so if you are looking for those laugh out loud moments, don't bother. The jokes are subtle, such as Eva struggling to drag her massage table up a flight of stairs or Albert swirling the guacamole around in the bowl sifting out the aforementioned onions.
The cast really delivers too, Gandolfini, Louis-Dreyfus and Keener are top notch. Toni Colette plays Eva's best friend, Sarah. She's a good sounding board for Eva and helps her navigate the mess she has created for herself -- having Marianne as a client while dating Albert.
Sad to say, "Enough Said" was Gandolfini's final film. He died in 2013 of a heart attack at age 51 while traveling in Italy. There's a simple tribute that reads "For Jim" before the final credits roll.
Gandolfini's death leaves us wondering what could have been. This film showed that he could break out of the tough-guy, mob boss role and into something different. Tony Soprano in a romantic comedy? Yes! It works because Gandolfini has such depth. While his career was definitely cut short, he left it "all on the field" so to speak. While his final film isn't an Oscar winner, it's a sweet film and a fond farewell.
Enough said, indeed.
"Enough Said" is rated R for adult language and adult situations. You can find it on HBO Max, AppleTV and Xfinity OnDemand.
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Chris Morelli is the news editor of The Express.