Something's Gotta Give (2003)

A swinger on the cusp of being a senior citizen with a taste for young women falls in love with an accomplished woman closer to his age.

Director:

Nancy Meyers

Writer:

Nancy Meyers

Stars:

Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Nicholson	...	Harry Sanborn
Diane Keaton	...	Erica Barry
Keanu Reeves	...	Julian Mercer
Frances McDormand	...	Zoe
Amanda Peet	...	Marin
Jon Favreau	...	Leo
Paul Michael Glaser	...	Dave
Rachel Ticotin	...	Dr. Martinez (as Rachel Ticoti)
Paige Butcher	...	Beauty
Tanya Sweet	...	Beauty
Kristine Szabo	...	Beauty
Daniella Van Graas	...	Beauty
Tamara Spoelder	...	Beauty
Sonja Francis	...	Beauty
Vanessa Trump	...	Beauty (as Vanessa Haydon)

Storyline

Harry Sanborn is an aged music industry exec with a fondness for younger women like Marin, his latest trophy girlfriend. Things get a little awkward when Harry suffers a heart attack at the home of Marin's mother Erica. Left in the care of Erica and his doctor, a love triangle starts to take shape.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | heart attack | love | beach | age difference | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, brief nudity and strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Warner Bros. [Brazil]

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

12 December 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Nancy Meyers Project

Filming Locations:

Shutters on the Beach - 1 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$444,506 (Japan) (26 March 2004)

Gross:

$4,558,255 (Brazil) (4 June 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Warner Bros., Waverly Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie Jack Nicholson plays a notorious bachelor, who always: "escaped the noose", while Diane Keaton plays a divorcée. In real life it's the other way round. Jack Nicholson is divorced while Diane Keaton never married.

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Goofs

When Erica is on her Apple, the logo is lit but when it cuts to in front of her, it is no longer lit.

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Quotes

Julian Mercer: When something happens to you that hasn't happened before, don't you at least have to find out what it is?

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Crazy Credits

Jack Nicholson sings "La Vie en Rose" during the closing credits.

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Connections

Featured in The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Oooh Baby"
Written by David Cole
Performed by C.C. Music Factory (as C + C Music Factory)
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

If not stunning or brilliant, it's solid and very very feel good. So feel good.

Something's Gotta Give (2003)

There are two things recommending this film: Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Alone and together they are funny and alive. You might expect their individual strengths, but they actually have chemistry, or at least rapport, on screen.

The story is fun and funny and heartwarming, and you kind of know what's going to happen much of the time. And you want it to, so you get that confirmation and have fun watching the two be together (or not) as their relationship grows and changes. Director and writer Nancy Meyers is pretty straight forward here--and if she's no Nora Ephron (lacking finesse and wit at that level), she's got the right idea. You can picture a better film, smoother and more cinematic, under a different director (there are some clunky visual decisions if you are looking), but the story keeps it going.

The rest of the cast? Mostly what you'd expect. Keanu Reeves is better than usual, playing an unplayed role nicely, and Frances McDormand is funny but a bit awkward here, as if miscast, or at odds with the director. Amanda Peet as the daughter is cheerful enough but I found her unconvincing in her role scooping up a rap record label womanizer (Nicholson) three times her age.

It's the unlikeliness of the main match-up that makes the movie work, of course, and in a way they dive into their success too easily. (A screwball comedy would have sustained the tension until the last scene, and here they keep it in the air for about five minutes.) Of course, this is a standard romantic comedy, and the romance figures heavily. And there are turns in the feelgood plot that make it rise above. And make it worth watching twice, believe it or not, at least with a few years rest. The performances are what remain sparkling and new.

You might have trouble, as I do every time I see this movie (and it's been a few times for some reason) with the last scene. It's meant to be sudden and dramatic, but the previous scene doesn't quite set things up that way. Sort of, but not quite, and the validity of the change of heart at the end is necessary. But then of course the snow falls and Paris is beautiful and life is beautiful and we all have hope. It's a feel good movie that really works.