With Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman leading, a movie is guaranteed to have some real exceptional acting in it. Such is the case with "The Savages," a quiet drama about two siblings who have to face their father's rapidly deteriorating health.The movie handles various themes, the foremost being human fragility at different parts of one's life. Fragility is also present in both the main characters' struggle to be writers and create a legacy."The Savages" has a well maintained story that has an easily accessible thematic fabric to it, even if it can be called gloomy, even hopeless at times. The film did feel a tad too safe and familiar though, not really taking the kinds of risks that could have made it something truly special.

Not to be confused with the 2013 Oliver Stone movie "Savages", 2007's "The Savages" stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney as brother and sister dealing with their aging father. The story is all too familiar to some as the baby boomers continue to age it's up to their children to care for them. The film is written and directed by Tamara Jenkins in a very honest and sincere way that will resonate with many people.We start out in the warm and sunny senior utopia of Sun City, Arizona. Lenny Savage, played by Philip Bosco, is the elderly antagonist in a story that starts out with a "bathroom incident". Not to long after that his girlfriend of many years literally drops dead. Since he was living with her and her kids can't stand him he is kicked out to fend for himself. His daughter Wendy Savage lives and works in New York City as a struggling author and playwright who is having an affair with an older, balding, and more importantly married man. Her older brother John Savage lives in Buffalo, he writes, teaches, and has PhD in philosophy. Both sibling are single and muddled in mid life crisis territory when they receive a call to come and do something about there estranged father. Lenny was a terrible father and their mother left the family when they were little, so it is quite amazing to see how relatively normal Wendy and John turned out. They meet at Wendy's place, then board a plane to Sun City.Lenny has dementia and is pretty dependent on others so they make the big decision most people dread. They have to choose a nursing home were they prey on peoples guilt. Wendy asks John "Are we horrible people?" They each deal with things in their own way. Wendy feels enormous guilt, while John can only think of what his father did to him as a child. Can he forgive the abuse? Are they doing the right thing? "The Savages" is also darkly comedic. The indignities of getting old and the many awkward moments that ensue. While bringing Lenny back to New York, they have quite the embarrassing moment on the plane. Later on at a coffee shop they have a very tough and awkward conversation about what to do with him when he eventually dies. The film is a rare and realistic approach to death and how it affects the living. It forces Wendy and John to get together and work out there problems which eventually brings them closer together. Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance earned him the Award for Best Male Lead at the Spirit Awards, while Laura Linney nabbed a Oscar Nom for best supporting actor. Tamara Jenkins also got a nod for best screenplay.

The Savages is a very nuance and quiet little film about the journey of two siblings in taking care of their father. It is very well-made, with great cinematography and use of lighting, and the music score is very limited and quiet and only used in poignant scenes. It is very much a character film and study. Both Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman have great chemistry and deliver two great performances representing their flawed characters. I am surprised at the label as a comedy though. I did think it had a few moments of subtle humor but I wouldn't call it a dramedy at all, and for those expecting an indie film that balanced both drama and comedy in a Juno type of way will probably be disappointed. Instead, The Savages relies in the smooth direction, good writing, and great acting to deliver it's message.

This is a superb indie film that got me interested in the characters from the word go. Tamara Jenkins should direct more on this evidence but the real kudos goes to Seymour Hoffman and Linney for portraying the ultimate sibling dysfunctional relationship. Theatrical legend Philip Bosco was another casting masterstroke as the rapidly deteriorating father, although more could have been made on the fact that he supposedly abused the children, that was the story tagline but it was rarely expanded on. This was full of black humor and for anyone with older parents, this is the sort of movie that could make you lose sleep! The movie took time to delve into the lives of the siblings with their separate idiosyncracies and failed relationships and whilst I'm not a fan of "happy" endings, I was pleased with the way things were tied up here.