Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
Academy Award winner® Philip Seymour Hoffman and Academy Award® nominee Laura Linney deliver unforgettable performances in this hilarious coming-of-middle age story from Oscar® -nominated writer / director Tamara Jenkins. Until recently all John and Wendy Savage (Hoffman Linney) had in common was a lousy childhood and a few strands of DNA. But after years of drifting apart they're forced to band together to care for the elderly cantankerous father who made their formative years "challenging." In the process both of these aimless perpetually adolescent fortysomethings may just at long last have to grow up!System Requirements:Running Time: 113 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/COMING OF AGE Rating: R UPC: 024543506799 Manufacturer No: 2250679

Amazon.com:
It's almost impossible to describe The Savages in a way that makes it sound as richly engaging and enjoyable as it is. The story sounds bleak: Two unhappy siblings--Wendy (Laura Linney, You Can Count on Me) and Jon Savage (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote)--are forced to grapple with their dying father (Philip Bosco, Damages) as he slips into dementia. But this spare outline doesn't capture the wealth of human detail that the script and performances contain. Linney and Hoffman vividly portray the sort of cluttered, precarious relationship that brothers and sisters can have, thick with past grievances but also unspoken affections and connections that can't even be articulated. As Wendy and Jon struggle to make some kind of peace with their difficult father, watching these wonderfully understated yet compelling actors is a pleasure unto itself. But the script and direction deserve these actors; filmmaker Tamara Jenkins (Slums of Beverly Hills) finds honest emotion and sly, sideways humor in the starkness of mortality. She doesn't force any easy epiphanies on her story, but lets the characters find solace through their own clumsy efforts. Anyone who appreciates the messiness of humanity--the territory that Hollywood movies seem to have surrendered to smart indie films like The Squid and the Whale, Little Children, or The Good Girl--will find The Savages a smart, genuine, and empathic portrait of life. --Bret Fetzer

Beyond The Savages

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Rating : - Is It Done Yet?
Are we there yet? Can I get that hour of my life back?

It's not nice to "savage" such a highly-acclaimed film about such an important, relevant, timely subject. Movies should be made about this topic. But not this badly-written, ham-handed tripe.

The main actor appeared very natural, most of the time, which really made him stand out in sharp contrast with those who think annoying=emoting. The dialogue was hackneyed, cliched, and just awful. Characterization was flat in places and non-existent in others.

It doesn't matter if your heart's in the right place, movie, or if I agree with you. Don't preach at me, don't insult my intelligence, don't neglect entertaining me, and don't expect me to fall in line with the film festivals.

Is this review savage enough for you? Heh heh. Let this paragraph stand as proof that SAVAGES makes the viewer stupid.