The Savages (2007)

A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.

Director:

Tamara Jenkins

Writer:

Tamara Jenkins

Stars:

Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laura Linney	...	Wendy Savage
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Jon Savage
Philip Bosco	...	Lenny Savage
Peter Friedman	...	Larry
David Zayas	...	Eduardo
Gbenga Akinnagbe	...	Jimmy
Cara Seymour	...	Kasia
Tonye Patano	...	Ms. Robinson
Guy Boyd	...	Bill Lachman
Debra Monk	...	Nancy Lachman
Rosemary Murphy	...	Doris Metzger
Hal Blankenship	...	Burt
Joan Jaffe	...	Lizzie
Sage Kirkpatrick	...	Real Estate Agent (as Laura Palmer)
Salem Ludwig	...	Mr. Sperry

Storyline

Jon and Wendy Savage are two siblings who have spent their adult years trying to recover from the abuse of their abusive father, Lenny Savage. Suddenly, a call comes in that his girlfriend has died, he cannot care for himself with his dementia and her family is dumping him on his children. Despite the fact Jon and Wendy have not spoken to Lenny for twenty years and he is even more loathsome than ever, the Savage siblings feel obliged to take care of him. Now together, brother and sister must come to terms with the new and painful responsibilities with their father now affecting their lives even as they struggle with their own personal demons Lenny helped create.

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Plot Keywords:

dementia | nursing home | arizona | writing | professor | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Cantonese

Release Date:

17 January 2008 (Singapore)

Also Known As:

La famille Savage

Filming Locations:

Buffalo, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$151,859 (USA) (30 November 2007)

Gross:

$6,610,326 (USA) (25 April 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Lone Star Film Group, This Is That Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is older brother to Wendy (Laura Linney). In real life, Linney is older than Hoffman.

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Goofs

In the scene where John is teaching his class, he receives a phone call, a student raises her hand and calls him Mr. Savage. However, earlier in the film it is learned that he has his a PHd, therefore she should have referred to him as Dr. Savage.

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Quotes

Wendy Savage: Dad has been writing on the walls with his shit!
Jon Savage: [half asleep] Wen, what the fuck are you talking about?

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Connections

Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: The Best of 2007 (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Sitting by the Riverside"
Written by Ray Davies
Performed by The Kinks
Courtesy of Sanctuary Records and Abkco Records

User Reviews

Excellent Movie

I would say this is one of the most underrated movies of 2007.This movie has it all,acting,directing,comedy,true life etc.So many of us baby boomers can really identify with this movie and what the characters are going through.I had the opportunity of seeing this movie at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2007,and when the tickets went on sale to the public for the two showings they were both sold out within 30 minutes.This is a must see movie that just doesn't get the ravings that so many other movies are getting.Now that it has had two nominations for this year's Academy Awards let's hope that it gets its rightful recognition.