4 out of 5

Director: Nicole Holofcener

Writer/director Nicole Holofcener has an amazing knack for portraying women in a very honest light in female-centric movies that rarely feel chick-flicky and in fact access emotions that are rare in cinema, regardless of the genre. That Please Give manages to be incredibly layered without feeling forced, and highlights very depressing themes without coming across as too cynical or bitter, is an amazing balance of skills. Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt play a well-off married couple who work together in an antique store where the items are purchased from the relatives of a recently-deceased family member (i.e. the leftovers – passed down furniture, etc.). A potential client happens to live next door, grandparent to sisters who form the other focus of the movie – Amanda Peet and Rebecca Hall. Everyone gets mixed up in various downward spirals – Amanda Peet is beautiful and intelligent, but obsessed with her exs new girlfriend, Rebecca Hall doesnt know how to not care for her grandmother, Catherine Keener has developing feelings of guilt for the less fortunate, and seeks to help but starts feeling rather helpless herself… These are all very honest performances, and Holofcener doesnt side-step to easy solutions to excuse us from being lazy, or self-centered humans. And yet, its strangely… not upbeat… but… Well, refreshing, and thoughtful, and funny, and a whole bunch of good, real, things. The lack of star, for better or worse, is because the movie, by nature, cant really amount to much more than to leave you where it starts. So it doesnt knock you over, but it gives you plenty to mull over.