The Premise – simple. The characters – basic. The dilemma – complex. Enough Said is a movie that is more about saying and less about talking. What we say when we don’t talk. The essence of human relationships in the movie are expressed in a nuanced way through hiding the intentions and dilemma with the words left unsaid. For any auteur this is an Art worth mastering. The beauty of visual medium is to unnerve the audience by presenting the characters who inhabit the traits of the audience. Each day is monotonous, and yet each day presents itself with an opportunity to build a bridge for a human connection. Doubts, cynical worldview, insecurities are all those emotional traits which we all hide from the world. And it may not be wrong to say that these are the very traits that often hinder us from loving someone.

Our protagonists, James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, in this movie are the people that every 20 something may look like in the next 20 years. They are both divorced. And they also have a personality that we all should aspire to have if we want to find love. Where most movies fail, this movie hits the nail in the coffin from the opening sequences. None of our protagonists pass off as the modern world’s idea of physical attraction but neither of them needs it too. They know what their personality is and are very assuring to watch albeit in their vulnerability. Nicole Holofcener has done what most of us don’t dare try. Show us the story of real people especially when they look like real people. When this movie released, a lot of 20 yr old something critics argued that this movie can only be appreciated by a more mature audience who have age behind them. I am against that notion. I feel, anyone who seeks love, will take home a lot back from this movie.

Sure this movie has a lot of clichéd behavioral pattern that people exhibit when they are chasing love or trying to be in love. Eva, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character in one such incident, is disrespectful towards James Gandolfini’s Albert. In most real life situations of such sort, Albert would shake it off because by his physical standards Eva is really a catch. But Albert shows character of his personality and confronts Eva. And this is where the conflict is. This movie is for both all genders to step into the shoes of the characters and reflect what they would have done differently if they are to disrespect their partner of affection, and also what they would do if they were to be on the receiving end of disrespect from their partner of affection.   

Do you risk losing the new found love because of what you stand for, or do you talk it out in manner that is confrontational. Who is at fault here? The one who disrespects or the one who objects to disrespect? The answer might seem very straight forward but it really is not. That is where Nicole Holofcener’s understanding about human behavior comes into play. I can only speculate but not say for sure why she chose James Gandolfini to play Albert; she could have has let’s say, cast someone who would have looked in a certain way to imply that it is Eva’s loss if she loses him. The ball is in Eva’s court almost across the whole run-time of the movie. And Eva slams a homer after a couple of strikes obviously; otherwise there would be no character arc. But her conflicts are so real. It’s not just her conflict, it is a conflict we all will face sooner or later when seeking love. I wish I could have written a screenplay this beautiful. This movie is one of those examples where visual story-telling perhaps stays in the background and it’s for the good of the movie. This lesson, to me is equally important as an auteur. One must know what the core strength of the story would be. The internal conflict? The visual symbolism? The screenplay? The cinematography? Or just letting the actors test the waters with their characters? I don’t know how Nicole Holofcener did it. But it’s no fluke; she did it again in The Land of Steady Habits starring Ben Mendelsohn.

Almost every auteur will make a love story sooner or later in their career. The tropes of this genre are explored in vast and scope for innovation thin. The idea of second chance to fall in love is an idea that is worth relating to most of us all. Yet most movies that we grew up watching do not represent how that idea pans out in the real life scenarios. Enough Said is perhaps as close as it gets to inspire the audience who may face the dilemma of falling in love a second time. Will you be bogged down the failure of previous love? Will you accept the new love for what it is? Will you even be ready to love as hard as you loved the first time? According to me, Enough Said is a movie with a very objective message about love. And it taught me how write a conflict and focus on it entirely. This movie is an example of less is more. Have an idea, write a conflict in regards to it, and then let the characters explore how they can resolve the conflict.