The Savages

Tamara Jenkins’ witty comedy-drama (which she also scripted) stars Laura Linney and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as Wendy and Jon Savage, siblings facing up to the unwelcome realities of responsibility for their father Lenny, who has dementia. They place him in a home in Buffalo, and try to reconcile with the curmudgeon they had fled from, while they also attempt to get along with each other and face up to their own failures in life., A pair of siblings are forced to set aside their discomfort with one another for the sake of their father in this low-key comedy drama from writer/director Tamara Jenkins. Wendy Savage (Laura Linney) is a struggling playwright living in New York City who works a day job to support herself and can’t shake the feeling that she’s failed as an artist. Wendy isn’t especially happy about her love life either, gaining little self-esteem from her on-and-off affair with oversexed, married neighbor Larry (Peter Friedman). Wendy’s anxieties about her writing career are intensified by the success of her brother, Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who teaches theater history at a college in Buffalo, NY, and has published a number of books. While Jon’s life seems fine on the surface, a case of writer’s block has stalled work on his latest project, and he’s deeply upset that his girlfriend is soon to leave the United States to return to her native Poland. Wendy and Jon don’t get along and prefer not to see one another, but an unfortunate circumstance brings them together — their father, Lenny Savage (Philip Bosco). Elderly Lenny has began showing signs of dementia, and shortly after he takes to smearing his feces on the walls of his Arizona home, his ailing long-term girlfriend suddenly dies. Wendy and Jon have little choice but to fly to Arizona and see what can be done for Lenny, but their long-simmering animosity makes it hard for them to deal with the realities of Lenny’s condition. The Savages received its world premiere at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival., Tamara Jenkins’ film (which she also scripted) stars Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Wendy and Jon Savage, siblings facing up to the unwelcome realities of responsibility for their father Lenny, who is suffering from dementia. Placing him in a home in Buffalo, they must not only try and reconcile with the curmudgeon they fled but also get along with each other as he, a professor of theatre and she, an aspiring playwright, must also face their own emotional and life failures. Yet the film isn’t all downbeat, thanks to a witty script, pithily delivered., Director: Director: Tamara Jenkins. A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father., A middle-aged brother and sister must confront their troubled upbringing when their father’s dementia worsens. Family drama., Middle-aged siblings are forced to deal with their disagreeable father when he begins to slip into senility., A middle-aged brother and sister must confront their troubled upbringing when their father’s dementia worsens., Bravura performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney key this keen and perceptive mortality play. They portray siblings Jon and Wendy Savage, who are forced to deal with a disagreeable father when he begins to slip into senility. Linney received a Best Actress Oscar nomination, while director Tamara Jenkins’ script was considered for Best Original Screenplay. Philip Bosco is excellent as the father who neglected and abused his children when they were young.