The Savages

Name: The Savages
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: November 28, 2007
Duration: 113 min
Rating: 85
Cast: Laura Linney, Philip Bosco, Philip Seymour Hoffman

2007

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 37 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 104 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 104 Ratings

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The Savages

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Movie Details & Credits

Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: November 28, 2007 | R

Starring: Laura Linney, Philip Bosco, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Summary: The Savages is an irreverent look at family, love and mortality as seen through the lens of one of modern life’s most bewildering and challenging experiences: when adult siblings find themselves plucked from their everyday, self-centered lives to care for an estranged elderly parent. (Fox Searchlight)

Director: Tamara Jenkins

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 113 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Lisa Schwarzbaum

The Savages is terrific -- a movie of uncommon appreciation for the nature and nurture that go into making us who we are, a perfectly calibrated drama both compassionate and unsentimental. Read full review

Andrew O'Hehir

What makes the movie memorable is the precision of its tone, its finely calibrated combination of bitterness and warmth. Of course the acting is tremendous, and you'd expect nothing less. Read full review

Todd McCarthy

Jenkins brings a rigor, intelligence and eye for the slightly absurd to the proceedings that is instantly disarming. Read full review

Ty Burr

Smartly written and beautifully played, The Savages is about that point in life where you look around and realize that where you are is probably as far as you're going to get. In spite of this, the movie's a comedy, dry and humane. Read full review

Paula Nechak

A darkly funny journey about life ticking by and the change to make wrongs right. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

I can't begin to count the ways in which The Savages pleased me, but the very best of them is the way Tamara Jenkins's comedy stays tough while sneakily turning tender. Read full review

Shawn Levy

The film has a dreary, worn quality; much of it is set in winter in Buffalo, N.Y., after all. You know before long that the best you can hope for is that these folks won't kill each other or themselves. Read full review

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User Reviews

DrBlahBlah

Apr 26, 2021

One of Hoffman's best performances, and a solid, painful, funny script about death and family.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

danielw

Dec 22, 2007

Pitch-perfect screenplay, and three performances to die for. Though Hoffman and Linney have received a lot of well-deserved credit, Bosco, playing the father, is their equal in every scene they share. Not always an easy movie to watch, but the characters will linger with you well after the Pitch-perfect screenplay, and three performances to die for. Though Hoffman and Linney have received a lot of well-deserved credit, Bosco, playing the father, is their equal in every scene they share. Not always an easy movie to watch, but the characters will linger with you well after the credits roll.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Spangle

Aug 26, 2014

The Savages is a very sad film to watch at times, but thankfully, tries to lighten up the mood at time with timely comedic elements. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney are brilliant as the two Savage siblings tasked with dealing with the impending death of their father, with whom theyThe Savages is a very sad film to watch at times, but thankfully, tries to lighten up the mood at time with timely comedic elements. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney are brilliant as the two Savage siblings tasked with dealing with the impending death of their father, with whom they had a distant and seemingly abusive relationship with. It is ultimately a beautiful look at family relationships and hardships faced by family throughout our lives. The film has a certain tenderness and heartfeltness that truly pulls you in and makes you feel one with the characters. It also does not hurt if you have had a loved one in this situation, as this film certainly hits home for many. While it is not a happy film, The Savages is a very good, even if depressing, film that really hits all of its marks. It is a very good family drama, comedy, and very poignant film concerning the reality of "rehab" clinics and nursing or retirement homes. As a whole, The Savages is bolstered by those elements, its great acting, and the great direction from Tamara Jenkins.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

AlanS.

Dec 10, 2007

An interesting exploration of the issues that arise from broken families and aging parents. While it was a "good" film I had a hard time totally losing myself in the story. It had the feel of a play that could have been done on stage in limbo lightin...(read more)g. The characters are An interesting exploration of the issues that arise from broken families and aging parents. While it was a "good" film I had a hard time totally losing myself in the story. It had the feel of a play that could have been done on stage in limbo lightin...(read more)g. The characters are supposed to be smart and funny but a lot of the dialogue sounded like quirky snippets of "meaningful" or "sharp" quips you get in plays that are not written by Allen, Mamet or Miller. Well, maybe Mamet. PSH does his best "I can shuffle around, unshaven and deliver dialogue without moving my lips" work. And Linney looks better than ever doing the nervous bird bit. While the cast does fine work, I was a bit put off by the casting of almost every character. Having said all that, The Savages is a worthy entry into the "dysfunctional family-modern people who can't manage relationships" genre. Despite its problems, I laughed and cried. The eggs made me sad.... you'd have to see it to understand.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Compi24

Sep 1, 2013

While it may be a little too slow for some, "The Savages" nevertheless manages to present a heapload of dramatic ideas and thematically compelling subject matter throughout a worthwhile collage of heartfelt character interaction.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

FilipeNeto

May 25, 2021

Personally, I expected more from this film. The idea is good, and the family drama was well done, but a lot of it is based on the excellent work of the actors and not so much on the merit of the story told. I appreciated the work of the actors, but that is not enough to make a good film.Personally, I expected more from this film. The idea is good, and the family drama was well done, but a lot of it is based on the excellent work of the actors and not so much on the merit of the story told. I appreciated the work of the actors, but that is not enough to make a good film. It's bearable, it's worth it from the point of view of dramatic work, but that's basically it.

The story revolves around an elderly man who begins to suffer from Alzheimer's and dementia. He has two children: one is a drama teacher and the other is a freelancer who has an affair with a married man. The family's past was not the best, and the two have harsh memories of their father, of a complicated childhood, and returning to take care of their father, although it is an obligation, is not an easy task for either of them. However, they come back, look for a home for him and try to take care of him in the last days of his life.

The film is a well-constructed drama, but it doesn't have much to give the audience other than a succession of dialogues and familiar scenes of conflict and tension. It is a somewhat tiring film after some time, and the feeling I got is that we spent almost two hours watching fights based on or originating in quarrels from the family past. Another problem with this film is the fact that there is no empathy between the audience and the characters.

Instead of a more appealing or interesting story, the film presents us with an excellent work of acting and interpretation by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney. The two actors are very good and have given themselves completely to their characters, developing them very well and revealing a psychology and a considerable wealth of feelings, which is not usual in the most "mainstream" films today. Philip Bosco gives life to the disagreeable father and is quite good at this task, but he has very little to do. Peter Friedman and Rosemary Murphy appear in frankly secondary characters and can add little.

Technically, it is a discreet and frankly uninteresting film. Cinematography is limited to the basics and I have not seen any effects worth mentioning. The soundtrack is almost silent and the feeling I had is that the film has an excessively slow and dragged rhythm in some parts, which was not pleasant.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

CydneyB.

Dec 22, 2007

This film was one of the worst I've ever seen... bleak, depressing, boring, interminable. The 2 cute quips in the trailer are all you get ... Linney's a pathetic whiner, Hoffman is perfect but the character so flawed you don't give a damn, and I'd have let the father rot This film was one of the worst I've ever seen... bleak, depressing, boring, interminable. The 2 cute quips in the trailer are all you get ... Linney's a pathetic whiner, Hoffman is perfect but the character so flawed you don't give a damn, and I'd have let the father rot in the nursing home w/o a second thought. Yuk.… Expand

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