"Something's Gotta Give" - Movie Review

Genre:  Comedy, Romance

Rating:  PG-13 (for sexual content, brief nudity and strong language)

Release Date:  December 12, 2003

Actors:  Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet, Frances McDormand, Jon Favreau

Director:  Nancy Meyers

Special Notes:  Diane Keaton said that she and Jack discussed all of their failed relationships and discovered that she had a longer list than he did. She also said she has never been asked to get married by anyone that she dated. I guess her neurotic behavior is part of her off-screen persona as well.

Plot: Harry Sanborn (Nicholson) is a New York music mogul in his late 50s who only dates women under 30. He has the world on a string, so he thinks. When he takes his newest girlfriend, Marin (Peet) on a romantic weekend at her mother's Hamptons beach house, the two are surprised by Marin’s mother (Keaton), Harry develops chest pains, lands in the hospital where a handsome doctor (Reeves) treats him. The doc sends Harry home to Erica and the two fall in love … well … Erica falls for Harry, but when Harry hesitates to pursue Erica, she rebounds with the charming thirty-something doctor. Once the tables are turned, Harry undergoes a true change of heart and decides to win Erica back.

Good:  When you have two Academy Award winners starring together, you’re bound to have a winning formula. And in this case, the chemistry works in this sophisticated romantic comedy from acclaimed writer/director Nancy Meyers ("What Women Want", "The Parent Trap"). I enjoyed the banter between the two because the dialogue is real. I also enjoyed the fact that it dealt with a lot of truths about middle-age dating and how older men seem to pursue younger women and miss out on what women their own age have to offer. There’s a hilarious monologue by McDormand at the dinner table referring to men dating women that’s classic. The scene where Harry accidentally wanders through the house (looking for the kitchen) and winds up in Erica’s bedroom accidentally catching her naked is also very funny and plays for laughs as she screams and scrambles to cover herself. 

Bad:  Although I enjoyed the movie for the many truisms it has in it and I laughed at many parts, the overall theme was very depictive of our culture today. The daughter brings an older man home to share a sexual weekend, the mother ends up sleeping with him (several days later), and then is dumped by him. She then rebounds with the thirty-something-year-old doctor. It‘s sad when the word “love” is thrown around so casually anymore; it’s lost much of its true meaning. And I’m sorry but I just didn’t buy the fact that a gorgeous young doctor would pursue a woman 20 years older who didn’t look like Demi Moore. Even with the soft lens, Keaton is looking old. And while I’m on the subject, Keaton does her “Diane Keaton” impersonation way too many times in this movie; it ended up being distractive. Questionable content includes lots of profanity, sexual innuendoes, an implied sexual situation, adult dialogue about sex and a couple of shots of Jack’s backside as he wanders down the hospital hall in his gown. Various characters smoke or drink, and Harry has a heart attack. A man has a heart attack and repeated heart problems; it's played in a light, comical fashion.

Bottom Line:  The PG-13 rating means it’s not hard adult material, but it definitely is too adult for your older kids or young teens. This romantic comedy is more appropriate for an older generation.