SNMR 6.19: "The Savages"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "The Savages" (2007, R, 114 minutes), starring Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco and Peter Friedman. The film was directed by Tamara Jenkins.

PLOT SUMMARY: Wendy and Jon Savage (Linney and Hoffman) are brother and sister who live in different parts of New York, living their own lives with not much contact between them. They are suddenly drawn together by a phone call from Arizona informing them that their father Lenny (Bosco) has lost his mind after his longtime girlfriend dies. Having nowhere to go and apparently suffering from dementia, Wendy and Jon are forced to deal with their father, a man who was never a committed parent, and take care of him. Now they must face a choice: find him a nursing home where he can receive the care he needs or continue to take care of him themselves, all while delicately juggling their own lives and learning all about dementia and mental illness..

MY OPINION: This film takes a good, hard look at the effects of dementia and how you deal with it when your parent is the one affected by it. How one parent's illness can disrupt your family's lives. This is not a comedy, but what funny moments there are are played up very nicely by Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The script is emotional and heartfelt. Director Tamara Jenkins over all does a good job keeping the film moving, but there are a few moments when the story sags just a bit. The touching human element to the story is that, even though Lenny wasn't the greatest dad and not always there for his kids, his kids came through for him when he needed it most. That's the power of love.

This is a worthwhile rental, especially if you have experienced or are experiencing a parent who suffers from dementia.

***½ out of *****