Please Give (2010)

In New York City, a husband and wife butt heads with the granddaughters of the elderly woman who lives in apartment the couple owns.

Director:

Nicole Holofcener

Writer:

Nicole Holofcener

Stars:

Rebecca Hall, Elizabeth Keener, Catherine Keener

7 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rebecca Hall	...	Rebecca
Elizabeth Keener	...	Cathy
Elise Ivy	...	Marissa
Catherine Keener	...	Kate
Josh Pais	...	Adam
Sarah Steele	...	Abby
Ann Morgan Guilbert	...	Andra (as Ann Guilbert)
Amanda Peet	...	Mary
Oliver Platt	...	Alex
Griffin Frazen	...	Shopper
Reggie Austin	...	Shopper
Scott Cohen	...	Dr. Lerner
Paul Sparks	...	Blind Date
Lois Smith	...	Mrs. Portman
Thomas Ian Nicholas	...	Eugene

Storyline

Two families, sort of neighbors in Manhattan, cross paths as they navigate marriage, parenthood of a teen, ennui, a first date, and end-of-life care. Rebecca and Mary are sisters; their cranky 91-year-old grandmother's neighbors, Kateand Alex, run an upscale retro-furniture business, and will expand into her flat after she dies. Rebecca is quiet, without a boyfriend until a patient at the clinic where she works introduces her grandson. Mary is acerbic, stung by a recent breakup. Kate looks for meaning in her life, wondering if she should volunteer. Alex, too, is at loose ends. Their daughter, Abby, has zits and teenage moods. What does it mean to be good?

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Plot Keywords:

neighbor | teen | new york city | new york | apartment | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexual content and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 2010 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Feelin' Guilty

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$118,123 (USA) (30 April 2010)

Gross:

$4,033,268 (USA) (15 October 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sony Pictures Classics, Likely Story, Feelin' Guilty

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kate is shown reading a book, 'Assassination Vacation', by Sarah Vowell. That author appears in a brief but credited role as a shopper. The actress playing Kate, Catherine Keener, is also a featured voice in the audio book of 'Assassination Vacation'.

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Quotes

Kate: You're a really good person.

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Connections

Featured in Richard Roeper & the Movies: Please Give (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Sail Away"
Composed by Steve Martin
Courtesy of Killer Tracks

User Reviews

Please Take

I've heard all the clichés about New York, and I have a daughter who owns an apartment in Hell's Kitchen, so I know what I'm writing about: If you want a superior cinematic exploration of the contradictions in one of the world's great cities, then see Please Give.

Upper middle class couple Kate (Catherine Keener) and Alex (Oliver Platt) own a shop that sells mid-20th century furniture and kitschy items at prices non-Manhattanites would consider high.

As dramatically interesting is their bid to purchase an adjacent apartment as soon as the elderly grandmother dies. The death watch is the essence of the theme about shameless New Yorkers' acquisitiveness, for which, when it comes to expanding one's own apartment, anything goes. It's especially poignant to watch the liberal, goodhearted Kate give $20 bills to the homeless along the street, volunteer for work that makes her cry, give a valuable vase to a former customer she has taken advantage of, and yet wait for grandma next door to croak.

But that's where writer/director Nicole Holofcener gets it right—New York is full of life's ironic contradictions: Do good and bad in equal measure, feel bad about the bad, and go on living in one of the most glamorous cities ever crafted for the appetitive and the kind hearted. Holofcener treats the issues, from teen age angst to adult infidelity, with a dramatic restraint that allows the scenes to breathe lightly when a teenager berates her mom in public or a husband cheats on his beloved wife.

Keener is a delight with her nuanced, exemplary life, and Amanda Peet as Mary, the seductive granddaughter of the aging neighbor, is spot on in her self-centered charm. The scene in the elevator with Alex, Kate, and Mary is as uncomfortable as any director could hope.

It's all in a delightful, deconstructed New York minute, or so it seems to a former hyper Easterner now laid-back Mid-Westerner.