After the sheer ghastliness of Sex And The City 2, its so refreshing to see a film about females living in New York that is witty, engaging and very charming. Huge credit for that must go to writer-director Nicole Holofcener, who gave us the equally sweet Friends With Money. If you need evidence of her talent, she made Jennifer Aniston bearable in that story well, almost. Its tempting to think of her as a female Woody Allen, and thats not unfair, and she did actually direct a couple of episodes of the TV series of SATC, as well as the wonderful Six Feet Under.
Like Friends With Money, Please Give is set in a comfortable, middle-class world where the lives of the characters are not as perfect as they look. The always watchable Keener is Kate, an antiques expert who runs a shop on Fifth Avenue and lives with her likeable hubby Alex (Platt) and daughter Abby (Steele). Things are good Kate has a great eye for picking up furniture from New York residents who have died, Alex is a witty, fun husband, and yet she is unhappy. Not only is her daughter struggling with puppy fat and spots, but Kate is racked with guilt about her comfort, constantly handing out cash to the homeless.
Into their lives come Rebecca (Hall) and Mary (Peet), two sisters looking after their grumpy grandmother who lives next door to Kate. The sisters are very different, Rebecca does mammograms all day, is taciturn and suffers through disastrous internet dates, while Mary is utterly superficial, obsessed with tanning and clothes, and desperate to find out why her boyfriend dumped her.
Holofcener has two big strengths, her writing, which is effortlessly funny, and her way with actors. The first hour has loads of great gags, with Kates angst and Marys sheer stupidity being given a thorough comedy workover, but she also writes sparky dialogue which gives each character a real life. Even Abbys teenage moodiness is rendered thoroughly believable.
The performances are universally excellent. Keeners strained expression shows a woman who cares too much about things she fails to grasp, and Peet and Platt are jovially knockabout. But its Rebecca Hall, once again, who shows she has everything she needs to be a skilled film actress she is flawed, fragile, vulnerable yet utterly beguiling, and has enormous presence as she showed in Vicky Christina Barcelona. The plot sets her up with a slightly unlikely boyfriend he is little more than a cipher but she still carries it off with grace.
The pace does slacken in the last half hour, and sentimentality oozes in when characters start dying and Kate starts returning objects because of her guilt. There is also a running theme of Abby and her desire for the perfect pair of jeans which wears a little thin, but overall this is a lovely way to spend 90 minutes in New York with fun but complex characters.
Overall Verdict: Funny, engaging, adult story of guilt with shades of Woody Allen at his very best, and which features some terrific performances. For people who found SATC2 unbearable this will restore the faith.
Reviewer: Mike Martin