Writer/director Nicole Holofcener has teamed up with her muse, Catherine Keener, for the fourth time in this indie dramedy that once again connects with women. Please Give has our leading lady fighting an uphill battle with her guilty conscious and the reality that she is not living in very generous world.
Keener's character, Kate, is a wife and mom living in New York City with her family. She struggles with the notion of having found some success, feeling like it comes at the cost of others. Kate and her husband Alex own a trendy vintage furniture store in the heart of the city where they acquire their inventory by seeking out the children of the recently deceased. They exploit those uncertain of what to do with a lifetime worth of belongings by purchasing these "˜things' left behind and reselling them at extremely marked up prices. Kate and Alex's daughter Abby is dealing with the typical teenage body issues and a bad case of acne.
Ninety-year-old Andra is in the care of her granddaughters Rebecca and Mary. Between work and being the primary caregiver, Rebecca has almost no time for a social life while her sister spends a large amount of her day in a tanning bed or stalking her boyfriends new girlfriend. The two families are linked through an awkward circumstance that only furthers Kate's guilty conscience. Alex and Kate have purchased Audra's apartment and are faced with uncomfortable times waiting on Andra to retire to the sky before they can expand their outgrown apartment.
Kate attempts to squash her guilt by doing good for others. Weather it be volunteering at a retirement home or giving money to every homeless person she comes across on the street, each of Kate's attempts at being generous somehow falls flat. We begin to see the dejection in Kate's demeanor, which leads me to wonder if she will one day be a grouchy old lady. We learn at Andra's funeral that she was once a very generous and giving person, perhaps a foreshadowing to the elderly life of our heroine Kate.
Holofcener has an amazing ability to write stories about women and not seclude them to a female only audience. Oliver Platt represents the male side quite well, complimenting both Keener and co-star Rebecca Hall, who often serves as the film's scene-stealer. Please Give didn't have an ending wrapped up in a nice shiny bow. I assume that was an intentional move by Holofcener in order to convey her point that the characters in her film had issues much more involved than any two-hour movie could portray. Please Give may not be a major summer blockbuster, but with a story that is relatable and a full slate of brilliant performances, it is one of the most enjoyable and worthy movies I have seen all year.
