Now On DVD: Tamara Jenkins, The Savages

Photo Credit: Circuit City

by Freeman Montaque
04/24/2008

One of the best-reviewed films of the year finds its way to DVD this week with The Savages, Tamara Jenkins’ award-winning offbeat comedy. Had it been released just a week earlier, it would have hit the shelves the exact same day as three other films written by female screenwriters. But perhaps it’s meant to stand out from the pack because, unlike those films, Jenkins doubles as both the film’s writer and director. Whatever the reason, or whatever the week, the film is one that should be seen and appreciated for what it has to offer.

Wendy (Laura Linney) and her brother, Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman), are forced to care for their dying father, Lenny (a scene-stealing Philip Bosco), after they learn he has an extreme case of dementia. The two try to deal with the situation carefully and in as straightforward a way as possible. But of course, family is complicated, and it doesn’t take long for things to come undone. Whether it’s because of Wendy’s situation with her married boyfriend, or Jon’s situation with his girlfriend’s expired visa, or the fact that neither aspiring writer seems capable of getting financed, there’s some kind of setback each of them has to face. Additionally, caring for their dad is a full time job all by itself, as he’s not exactly father-of-the-year material.

The film doesn’t hold back when it comes to how the characters address each other, nor in its representation of how some patients act while seeking care in a nursing home (just look at how we’re first introduced to Lenny). The acting across the aboard is excellent, from the lead characters to those in only a handful of scenes. All this makes for one of the most accurate cinematic portrayals of the trials and tribulations attached to placing a family member in a nursing home.

Aside from being able to watch trailers for a few other films, the DVD extras include a featurette, extended scenes and photos by Jenkins.

"About the Savages" is a pretty typical behind-the-scenes feature: star interviews, story breakdown, how much the studio loved the project. Still, at around 20 minutes in length, the featurette provides some insightful information. One of the most interesting tidbits is the fact that composer Carter Burwell was the director’s first choice to score the film.

Unlike most DVDs, the extended scenes do not involve the main characters, nor do they add too much. The first is a longer version of the opening dance number performed by the Sun City West Rhythm Tappers dancing to an underscore that sounds like the type of music you’d hear riding in an elevator. The second extended scene is of actors Hal Blankenship and Joan Jaffe singing “Two of a Kind.” You can tell that they seemed to have had fun with the song, and their singing’s not too bad either.

The last feature, "Director’s Snapshots," is exactly what it sounds like: a collage of photos taken by the director throughout the film’s production phases. All the pictures are in black and white, making it a little hard at times to see everything, though at one point you see a scene from the film in a recording setting, most likely the place where Stephen Trask and the other musicians prepared to incorporate musical scores. A videotaped account of such a process would have made for an incredibly worthwhile behind-the-scenes component.