Please Give
Kate and Alex are secondhand furniture sellers who know all the good stuff comes from dead old people. When not picking over undervalued estates, they’re waiting for their elderly neighbor to die so they can co-opt her apartment. That brings them into contact with the irascible buzzard’s grand-daughters. Mary is a too-tan skin care technician. Rebecca is a sullen nurse dedicated to the sister and grand-mother who don’t really deserve her. At first glance, this story of the well-to-do on New York’s Upper West Side seems like it’s headed to familiar Woody Allen territory. In fact, it’s a smart and sometimes bittersweet take on being greedy, the value of aging and the limits of compassion. It also provides meaty parts for a trio of terrific actresses: Catherine Keener (Where the Wild Things Are), Amanda Peet (2012), and this month’s “It” girl, Rebecca Hall (The Town).
Extras: A Q&A with director Nicole Holofcener and a behind the scenes featurette.
- By C. Bottomley
Check out our DVD bonus clip above!
