James Gandolfini spent years playing Tony Soprano and other thugs in films like "Killing Them Softly." It's hard to think of him as a big teddy bear of a guy at the center of a sensitive romantic comedy. But that's where he lands as Albert in "Enough Said." It's one of the final roles in his remarkable acting life cut short by his untimely death in June.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is at the top of her game as Eva. She plays a middle-aged woman who becomes Albert's love interest. They are both divorced single parents of teenage daughters. Eva is a masseuse who unknowingly has Albert's ex-wife Marianne as a massage client. As Marianne describes the many faults of her ex-husband, Eva realizes she is talking about her own new boyfriend, Albert.
In Hollywood, a setup like this usually results in contrived comedy and phony dialogue. But writer/director Nicole Holofcener ("Friends With Money") overcomes that trap. She creates a mature yet playful look at grownups in love. The interaction and banter between all the characters rings true as real people in real relationships.
