The Savages [2007] Movie Reviews on CinemaClock

You wouldn't expect a movie called The Savages to be gentle and it certainly isn't. It shines a light on the dark, painful corners of life and reflects them back to us with unflinchingly brutal clarity. Playing brother and sister, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney give the brilliant, magnificent performances that have come to be expected of them. It's a pleasure to watch two of the best actors of our time working together. The expression of inner feelings is often communicated wordlessly. This silent emoting is demanded even more from Philip Bosco, who plays their father. His complex character is given to bouts of belligerent rage and mournful moments of helpless lucidity. It is an acting tour de force from the three leads. The films' stark realism is peppered with occasional moments of wit and dry humour. Linney and Hoffman's characters are barely able to cope with their own lives, but find themselves faced with one of life's cruelest moments when their estranged father succumbs to Parkinson's dementia. Having been deprived of a proper role model growing up, they stumble in their attempts to rise to the occasion. But the experience makes them stronger, more able to face their everyday lives with maturity and courage and with a keen awareness of the preciousness of life, right up to its very end.