You can’t see a preview for Something’s Gotta Give without the names Jack and Diane popping up and you can’t see Something’s Gotta Give without those two names ringing in your ears after you have left.
Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton make one of the most likely pairs to be seen on the big screen in a long time in what is sure to be a box-office hit through the Christmas season.
Joined by Amanda Peet, Keanu Reeves, and Frances McDormand Something’s Gotta Give has everything you could ask for in a romantic comedy and lots of it.
Harry Sanborn (Nicholson) is a bachelor for the new age. At the age of 63 he manages to make a social life out of consorting with women no older than the age of 30 and even that is pushing it.
Things soon change for Harry as he and his current infatuation Marin (Peet) are out at Marin’s mother’s house in the Hamptons and Harry suddenly begins having chest pains. Reluctantly, Marin’s mother, a successful, divorced play write, agrees to help nurse Harry back to health before sending him back to the big city.
So far from Harry’s usual social life, life with Erica initially seems unbearable, but that all soon changes for not only Harry but for Erica as well. But complications soon arise when Harry’s 36-year-old doctor Julian Mercer (Reeves) expresses interest in Erica forming one of the most bizarre love triangles imagined.
Just as charming and addicting as Nancy Meyer’s last flick What Women Want, Something’s Gotta Give has that distinguishable amount of charm and emotion that makes you part of the picture. The delightful dialogue between Harry and Erica couldn’t be more true to life that it speaks volumes.
The ability of Nicholson and Keaton to work together with such ease makes this picture believable and not at all silly, where other actors may make the storyline seem over the top these two bring it home and deliver it with such emotion, humor, and caring that it is hard not to find yourself trapped in their world.
One big surprise is the acting of Keanu Reeves, fresh off his long stint as the savior of Zion he finds himself back on Earth and whatever happened to the dry actor we had come so used to seeing. Reeves’ smiles seem genuine and he has added some warmth to his voice that makes his character more likeable and less the surfer boy we had seen so many times before.
Now, if I were to nitpick at this flick I would have to say that it is a tad too long and could have used an edit here and a snip there, but that is just looking for the negative, so I will leave that alone.
This is a picture that not only an older generation can relate to, but everyone can find some enjoyment in the romance that takes place here. It is a bit of a surprise, however, that this pic slid under the MPAA’s radar and was given a PG-13 rating; most often, when the word “fuck” is used more than once you can expect an R rating, not to mention that we get multiple shots of Jack’s “ass”ets and Diane’s, well as Harry refers to them, “tits.”
As laughable as the scenes are I would have to second guess whether I would take a 13 year-old to this one, but that is just my warning.
Rating’s aside, because what do they really matter? This flick is one to see and one to enjoy. If you are in a bad mood it will lift your spirits and if things are going well, then things might get better. Enjoy!
