Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Something's Gotta Give - 8 stars out of 10

Something's Gotta Give - 8 stars out of 10

I avoided “Something’s Gotta Give” for many years.  I’d always see it sitting in my Netflix queue or catch the opening credits on TBS and think “Who wants to watch a love story about old people?  Its DVD cover looks just like ‘As Good As It Gets,’ it’s probably exactly the same.”  Even with an Oscar nomination in Diane Keaton’s name, there always seemed to be something more youthful and energetic that I’d rather watch.  After dodging it for a decade, it inevitably turned out to be a great film that I wish I had seen a lot sooner.  “Something’s Gotta Give” is an intriguing romantic comedy that grabs your attention with the chemistry of its actors and then keeps you engaged with a story that moves in unexpected directions.  Most films create drama with a love triangle but this film has so many triangles that it is basically a lesson in geometry.  The initial love triangle is a little awkward but perfectly sets up the remainder of the story.  Jack Nicholson lights up the screen as an old-but-energetic music producer who loves to date women of a much younger age.  Keaton is a worthy adversary when it comes to putting him in his place and she hits a ton of different emotional notes throughout the film.  The montage of moments when she bursts into tears is magnificent.  Even though she gets overshadowed by the film’s lead veterans, I truly loved Amanda Peet in this film.  Keanu Reeves offers the quality of acting that we generally expect from him but gets to deliver one of the most underrated great comedic lines in all of film: [Holds up flowers] "These are for you to give me when you apologize."  The script is fantastic as it gives us an expectation and then spoils it.  You will be expecting the movie to resolve and end after an hour, and then the plot goes in a really great direction.  Especially once Nicholson sees the play.  “Something’s Gotta Give” will have you laughing out loud and loving every unexpected moment that appears from start to finish.

[Pictured: The script is great but the chemistry between every pairing of characters is what makes this film special]