Tony Soprano? Forget about it!
The Big Picture
- James Gandolfini’s performance in
Enough Said
showcases his immense range and charm, proving that he was more than just Tony Soprano. - The pairing of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini in the film is incredibly believable and joyous, earning them recognition at various awards shows.
-
Enough Said
is a feel-good rom-com that still explores the pain and complexities of love, and Gandolfini’s portrayal of heartbreak is the film’s strongest asset.
One of the most beloved actors, James Gandolfini, may have left us far too soon, but the imprint he left continues to be unsurprisingly long-lasting. A New Jersey native of Italian descent, Gandolfini spent nearly a decade as a major recurring figure on the television sets of homes throughout the world. This is, of course, thanks to his iconic turn leading The Sopranos, a role that earned him multiple Emmys, SAG Awards, and a Golden Globe, to name a few.
Before his unfortunate passing due to a heart attack in 2013 (he was just 51 years old), Gandolfini gave a slew of performances outside that of Tony Soprano, and one in particular deserves special attention. Enough Saidis a posthumously released romantic comedy in which Gandolfini stars oppositeJulia Louis-Dreyfus, and watching it now is a wonderful reminder that Gandolfini was downright lovable. By the end of his tenure as The Sopranos‘ patriarchal Italian-American mobster, Gandolfini became synonymous with that sort of archetype, but Enough Said makes it undeniably evident: James Gandolfini is a rom-com king. So, when you find yourself missing him, but can’t find the time to binge your way through The Sopranos again, Enough Said could be the comforting revisit you need and a reminder of his immense range as a performer.
Enough Said
A divorced woman who decides to pursue the man she’s interested in learns he’s her new friend’s ex-husband.
- Release Date
- October 11, 2013
- Director
- Nicole Holofcener
- Cast
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Lennie Loftin , Jessica St. Clair , Christopher Nicholas Smith , Tracey Fairaway , Toni Collette
- Runtime
- 93 minutes
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Writers
- Nicole Holofcener
- Tagline
- Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener
James Gandolfini Found Success After ‘The Sopranos’
Of course, Gandolfini’s titular reign in The Sopranos will always be the most prolific era of his legacy, but his abilities were well showcased throughout his career, beyond the massive scope of Tony Soprano. After The Sopranos concluded with its sixth and final season, Gandolfini would appear in more than a dozen films. While it wasn’t quite his final role (Gandolfini had one more film released posthumously: 2014’s The Drop), his penultimate performance in Enough Said ties a perfect bow to the career of a man who was far more versatile than memory may serve.
From The Sopranos‘ series finale in 2007, Gandolfini would continue to flex his special talent for turning particularly gruff, no-nonsense men into characters with no shortage of depth and complexity. Whether as New York’s mayor in The Taking of Pelham 123, a turmoil-ridden hitman in Killing Them Softly, or CIA Director Leon Panetta in Zero Dark Thirty, Gandolfini knew how to play the tough American fella. That’s why it’s such a gift for us to have Enough Said, which gave him the chance to show a softer (and overwhelmingly charming) side of himself.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus & James Gandolfini Are a Perfect Pair in ‘Enough Said’
Julia Louis-Dreyfus really hasn’t had a miss. Everyone knows her best as Elaine from Seinfeld, a show that has solidified itself as a staple of popular culture. Louis-Dreyfus, like Gandolfini, has stretched far beyond the scope of a single show, though. There’s Veep, which has earned her some of the highest praise a comedic actor can receive, and she has her fair share of film credits under her belt, too. It was a no-brainer for Louis-Dreyfus to step into a film like Enough Said with her comedy experience on many shows, including the underappreciated The New Adventures of Old Christine, but no one could’ve predicted that she and Gandolfini would form one of the genre’s most believable, all-together joyous pairs. Critics and Gandolfini’s peers would rightfully recognize his talents in the rom-com realm, nominating his performance at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, among many others.
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In Enough Said, Gandolfini plays Albert, a divorced and overly-criticized father dealing with his only daughter nearing adulthood while trying his best to find another shot at love. As fate would have it, Eva (Louis-Dreyfus) is in a nearly identical position. The two meet through happenstance at a party, hit it off with some playful banter, and decide to follow up with a casual first date. Eva, however, also met a woman named Marianne (Catherine Keener) at that party. As a massage therapist, Eva wound up taking on Marianne as a client, and the two would quickly become friends, bonding over a shared strife of motherhood, ex-husbands, and the ever-frustrating prospect of dating. The thing is, initially unbeknownst to Eva, the ex-husband that Marianne is often complaining about happens to be Albert.
The annoyances Marianne finds in Albert, which are grievances she’s keen on sharing with Eva, begin to infiltrate Eva’s perception of Albert. The steady, easy-going uptick of their budding relationship begins to needlessly falter as Eva can’t resist noticing any possible trait that could turn her off of Albert. As this plays out, there’s never a hint of doubt that the feelings between Louis-Dreyfus and Gandolfini’s characters are completely genuine. The chemistry between the two is palpable. The story doesn’t shy away from the realities of dating at the end of their middle-aged years. Physical attraction is a different beast, for one, and the emotional walls built after heartbreak are harder to break through than they maybe once were. Gandolfini makes acting look easy, conveying every ounce of this with a simple sigh or a mere glint in his eyes.
‘Enough Said’ Is the Feel-Good Rom-Com You Need
In the climax of Enough Said, when the secret of Eva’s connection with the divorced couple eventually gets exposed, Albert is rightfully hurt, and the potential of a relationship with Eva seems to be squandered. Gandolfini portrays heartbreak impressively well. Especially with so many gruff and tough characters under his belt, to see him display the effect of betrayal in such an understated, believable manner is the film’s strongest asset.
Gandolfini has a unique ability to convince us that we’ve met him. When Albert shares the pain Eva’s caused him, it doesn’t feel like we’re spying on a private conversation. He slowly draws us in throughout the film, like falling in love with him alongside Eva, and we end up feeling like we’ve almost participated in the betrayal. A feel-good rom-com that still makes room for the pain that comes with love might sound overdone, but when it’s Gandolfini and Louis-Dreyfus pulling it off, Enough Said stands out among the crowd even a decade later.
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With the frequency at which Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said‘s writer and director) works with the same people (having multiple collaborations with Louis-Dreyfus and even more recurrences with Keener, for example), it’s difficult not to get a little sad when remembering that Enough Said was one of Gandolfini’s final outings. The beauty of a rom-com, however, is how easy it is to return to them. Coupled with its feel-good nature, the presence of James Gandolfini is all the more reason to watch Enough Said again.
This article was originally published on collider.com