Something's Gotta Give (2003)

Patricks Reality Reviews

Excellent condition, Great movie too. A brand new DVD for the price of a used. Can't beat it. November 17, 2008

Never too late to fall in love

In a nutshell, this movie is about two accomplished yet lonely people who fall in love. Wow, good story and good acting....don't see that much anymore! It also has a nice soundtrack which really complements the tone. Jack is amazing as always, and Diane is perfectly annoying! Some great lines too. It's also fun with the dvd to freeze the scene where Diane is nude...I usually do that every halloween. She has a nice house though. November 9, 2008

Very funny

Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson have perfect chemistry together.It is one of the funniest flicks I've watched in a long time. October 6, 2008

One For The Pros

To quote John Mellencamp, this "little ditty `bout Jack and Diane" called "Something's Gotta Give" is somewhat of a sleeper comedy nowadays but still managed to give Diane Keaton a Golden Globe for Best Actress (as well as an Academy Award nomination) in 2004. Co-star Jack Nicholson was nominated for a Golden Globe as well for his performance and these are two of the best reasons to watch the film.

Keaton is Erica Barry, a divorcee and accomplished playwright who decides to spend some time at her beach house in the summer with her sister Zoe (McDormand). When she arrives, she is shocked to find a man digging around in her fridge, clothed only in his oxford shirt, boxers and dress socks. With Erica threatening to phone the police, the man quickly introduces himself as Harry Sanborn (Nicholson) and explains that he is there with her daughter Marin (Peete) for the weekend. Embarrassed that he has been caught in his skivvies, he insists that he will leave but Zoe pipes in, suggesting that all four of them spend some quality time. This is where the fun begins.

Over dinner that evening, Erica quickly learns that Harry is a chauvinistic playboy, Marin another notch on the belt of his quest to desperately cling to his youth. Harry senses Erica's disdain not only for his capricious behavior but also her disapproval of his relationship with Marin and reciprocates the hostility, quite certain that they will not get along no matter what happens. What neither of them bank on is keeping up the venomous front for several weeks while Harry recovers from a heart attack he suffers that night.

At the urging of his doctor Julian Mercer (Reeves), Harry recuperates close to the hospital, Erica reluctantly providing hospice. Born out of what is at first an irksome period is a surprising camaraderie and eventual love affair, one that turns Erica's world upside down. Aside from her exhilarating dalliances with Harry, she is simultaneously squired by the handsome Julian, a man nearly half her age. Erica's once ho-hum life is thrown into an emotional upheaval, her heart quickly set aflame and just as quickly extinguished by the wayward Harry. Not one to let a broken heart disrupt her life completely, she uses her romantic foibles as the primary tool for penning another successful play, one which more or less tells the entire story of her brief romance.

Screenwriter and director Nancy Meyers wrote the parts of Erica and Harry with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson specifically in mind to play them and they are smart casting choices indeed. The best pairing since Nicholson himself and Shirley MacLaine in 1983's "Terms of Endearment", Erica and Harry are that couple least likely to succeed but when they fall for one another they fall harder than one would care to predict, despite their vastly different personalities and ideals. Keaton prevails with the comedic timing she possesses in spades whilst Nicholson is the wry and strangely sexy older man that he's so fond of playing. Reeves, normally armed with the dramatic prowess of knotty pine, is surprisingly looser and warmer here, the most natural and enjoyable performance I've ever seen; for such a minor role, it's without a doubt his best so far.

Bottom line: It's obvious at first glance what the film's strong suits are (screenplay and lead actors) and both are in top form here. You'd be hard-pressed to find a reason not to see two film veterans at the top of their game in one of the better romantic comedies of 2003.
September 19, 2008

Jack Nicholson is not my idea of a ladies' man.

Nothing about this movie made sense to me. The "hero" is supposed to be crawling with young women, and won't go with anybody over thirty years of age. How could he get anyone under thirty to even look at him? For that matter, how could he get anyone OVER thirty to look at him? His greasy hair was unkempt and looked dirty. He was fat and sloppy, and so out of shape he wheezed when he walked from one room to another. But most of all, he was immature and superficial. I can see younger women falling for older guys if they are good looking, in shape, and charming like Cary Grant. But Jack Nicholson is not my idea of a ladies' man. This movie was painful to watch. June 23, 2008

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