Please Give (2010)

Director:

Nicole Holofcener

Writer:

Nicole Holofcener (written by)

Release Date:

18 June 2010 (Ireland)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Neighbor | Teen | New York City | New York | Apartment

Awards:

7 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

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
Harmonica Sunbeam	...	Transvestite Homeless Person
Amy Wright	...	Erin
Arthur French	...	Man Waiting for a Table
Neal Lerner	...	Leaf Man
Mandy Olsen	...	Salesgirl
Maddie Corman	...	Shopper
Alice Spivak	...	Shopper
John Srednicki	...	Tommy
Timothy Doyle	...	Kevin
Emma Myles	...	Salesgirl
Rebecca Budig	...	Big Back
Romy Rosemont	...	Carrie-Ann
Kathleen Doyle	...	Anita
Sarah Vowell	...	Shopper
Jason Mantzoukas	...	Shopper
Kevin Corrigan	...	Don
Elizabeth Berridge	...	Elyse
Erica Fae	...	Shopper (as Erica Berg)
Michael Panes	...	Shopper
Charles Techman	...	Homeless Man
Portia	...	Mrs. Melnick
Jason Kingsley	...	Jason
Regina Marie Healy	...	Abby #2
Creighton James	...	Ambulance Guy
Maria Barrientos	...	Elena
Jaime Tirelli	...	Dario (as Jamie Tirelli)
David Weininger	...	Funeral Director
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steve Antonucci	...	Shopper (uncredited)
Carmen M. Herlihy	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Nicole Holofcener

Writing credits
Nicole Holofcener		(written by)

Produced by
Stefanie Azpiazu	....	associate producer
Anthony Bregman	....	producer
Caroline Jaczko	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Tim LeFebvre
Marcelo Zarvos

Cinematography by
Yaron Orbach		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robert Frazen

Casting by
Jeanne McCarthy

Production Design by
Mark White

Art Direction by
Lauren Fitzsimmons

Set Decoration by
Kim Chapman		(as Kim L. Chapman)
Kris Moran

Costume Design by
Ane Crabtree

Makeup Department
Qodi Armstrong	....	hair department head
Julie Anna Kehoe	....	key hair stylist (as Julie Anna Lippman)
Mindi Levinson	....	key makeup artist
Rebecca Perkins	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Luca Borghese	....	post-production supervisor
Jonathan Ferrantelli	....	post-production supervisor
Caroline Jaczko	....	unit production manager
Frank Murray	....	production supervisor (as Frank J. Murray)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kara Doherty	....	second assistant director
Marta Forns-Escudé	....	second second assistant director (as Marta Forns-Escude)
Karen Kane	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Maureen Angelos	....	scenic artist
Jamie Arbuckle	....	on-set dresser
Junior Cyrus Baron	....	set dresser
Gregory Bastien	....	set dresser
Jyota Bertrang	....	set dresser
Michael Bodt	....	set dresser
David Brenner	....	set dresser
Lou Charles	....	leadman (as Lucien Charles)
Heather Corbett	....	set dresser
Kathleen Coughlin	....	scenic artist
Joel Custer	....	set dresser
Jason Esposito	....	construction grip
Emily Gaunt	....	charge scenic artist
Adam Greene	....	art department researcher
Herre Gregoire	....	set dresser
Willie Groom	....	camera scenic artist
Nadya Gurevich	....	shopper
Christine Hackett	....	shopper
Cynthia Harrington	....	additional art department production assistant
Rodney Henry	....	set dresser
Sheila Iniego	....	art department intern
Eric Johnson	....	art department production assistant
Beth Kuhn	....	scenic artist (as M. Beth Kuhn)
Steve Makowski	....	shopper
Patrick McGowan	....	set dresser
Yvonne Mojica	....	graphic designer
Kris Moran	....	co-production designer
Tommy Nash	....	construction grip (as Tom Nash)
Michael Lee Nirenberg	....	scenic artist (as Michael Nirenberg)
Lori Olson	....	art department intern
Richard Peete	....	assistant property master
Stanley Purham	....	set dresser
Niquan Riley	....	set dresser (as Niquan 'Nikki; Riley)
Pierre Rovira	....	construction coordinator
Anita Rundles	....	art department intern
Diana Salzburg	....	shopper
Jennifer Santucci	....	shopper
Courtney Schmidt	....	set dresser
Erika Stevens	....	art department intern
Carol Suchy	....	journeyman scenic artist
Geoffrey Todd	....	set dresser
Sylvia Trapanese	....	scenic artist
Selina Van Den Drink	....	shopper
Alexis Weiss	....	property master
Seth Williamson	....	set dresser
Yvette Granata	....	art department assistant (uncredited)
Phillip Leung	....	art production assistant (uncredited)

Sound Department
Marco Alicea	....	digital transfer
John Countryman	....	digital transfer
Stuart Deutsch	....	sound mixer (as Stuart C. Deutsch)
Edwin Dunkley	....	video services (as Ed Dunkley)
Sean England	....	foley recordist
Kim Foscato	....	dialogue editor
Ivan Fritz	....	digital editorial services
Pascal Garneau	....	sound effects editor
Jonathan Greber	....	digital transfer
J.R. Grubbs	....	sound effects editor
Howie Hammerman	....	sound engineering services (as Howie Hammermann)
Matthew Hartman	....	assistant sound editor (as Matt Hartman)
Matt Hartmann	....	assistant sound editor
Lora Hirschberg	....	sound re-recording mixer
Lora Hirschberg	....	supervising sound editor
David Hunter	....	digital editorial services
Amanda Jacques	....	sound utility
Thomas W. Jordan	....	additional boom operator
Mike Lane	....	client services
Charlotte Moore	....	post production sound accountant
Steve Morris	....	engineering services
Cheryl Nardi	....	dialogue editor
Larry Oatfield	....	sound effects editor (as E. Larry Payfield)
Eva Porter	....	client services
Richard Quinn	....	dialogue editor
Frank Rinella	....	foley mixer
Gabriel Sanders	....	boom operator
Clint Smith	....	sound mix technician
Kent Sparling	....	sound effects editor
Daniel Sperry	....	dolby consultant
John Torrijos	....	video services (as John 'JT' Torrijos)
Jana Vance	....	foley artist
Zach Martin	....	sound mix technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Chris Gelles	....	visual effects executive producer: & Company
David Isyomin	....	visual effects supervisor: & Company
Chris MacKenzie	....	smoke artist: Deluxe New York
Tom Mayclim	....	scanner: Deluxe New York
Nick Paulozza	....	scanner: Deluxe New York
Mark Russell	....	visual effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Abraham Altbuch	....	additional grip (as Abraham Altbush)
Mark Beattie	....	additional electrician
Jessica Bennett	....	key grip (as Jessica Kreimer-Bennett)
Adriana Brunetto-Lipman	....	additional camera loader (as Adriana Brunetto)
Bobby Carnavale	....	additional electrician
Randolph Carty	....	additional electrician
Scott Cramer	....	additional electrician
Robert DiGiacomo	....	additional second assistant camera
Spencer Gillis	....	second assistant camera
Afton Grant	....	additional Steadicam operator
Shawn Greene	....	gaffer
Bart Grieb	....	additional grip
Jim Hair	....	additional first assistant camera
Bernard Hunt	....	additional electrician
Mike Intile	....	additional electrician (as Michael Intile)
Mark T. Karinja	....	additional electrician
Ludovic Littee	....	additional first assistant camera
Christopher Moeller	....	additional second assistant camera
Tom Mone	....	company grip (as Harpoon)
Jeff Muhlstock	....	Steadicam operator
Jeff Niggemeyer	....	gaffer
Tom None	....	company grip
Colin Oberschmidt	....	best boy electrician
Piotr Redlinski	....	still photographer
Alison Rosa	....	still photographer: original photograghs
Benjamin Salley	....	company electrician (as Ben Salley)
Jennifer Scarlata	....	additional electrician
Chris Seehase	....	camera loader
Lara Sfire	....	additional electrician
John Shim	....	company electrician (as John H. Shim)
Niko Tavernise	....	additional still photographer
Brent Taylor	....	company electrician
Sean Taylor	....	best boy electrician
Vance Tucker	....	grip
Christopher Vidaic	....	best boy grip (as Chris Vidaic)
Brett Walters	....	first assistant camera
Joy Weber	....	additional electrician
Daniel Zimmer	....	dolly grip
Rome Petersson	....	electrician (uncredited)
Daniel Wallenstein	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Nicole Abellera	....	casting associate
Rori Bergman	....	casting associate
Joanne Bloom	....	casting assistant
Karen E. Etcoff	....	extras casting coordinator (as Karen Etcoff)
Bill Tripician	....	extras casting associate
Leslie Woo	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Patricia Carucci	....	tailor
Lynne Maureen Curtis	....	assistant costume designer
Marta Font	....	wardrobe supervisor
Karen McGovern	....	set costumer
Rodney Parrish	....	wardrobe production assistant
Rahimah Yoba	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Jake Cohen	....	assistant editor (as Jacob Cohen)
Duck Grossberg	....	digital intermediate data wrangler
Jack Lewars	....	digital intermediate colorist
Matthew J. McCue	....	post-production coordinator
Cam McLauchlin	....	digital intermediate editor
Paloma Mele	....	assistant editor
Jacob Robinson	....	digital intermediate editor
Darrell R. Smith	....	digital intermediate coordinator
Suzanne Spangler	....	assistant editor
Christopher E. Garcia	....	editorial intern (uncredited)
John Potter	....	video mastering (uncredited)

Music Department
Daniel Coe	....	score preparation
Lawrence Manchester	....	score mixer
Lawrence Manchester	....	score recordist
Dana Millman	....	music supervisor (as Dana Dufine)
Anne Pope	....	music editor
Jim Schultz	....	music consultant
Mark Jan Wlodarkiewicz	....	music consultant (as Mark Wlodarkiewicz)
Marcelo Zarvos	....	score producer
Daniel Coe	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Shane Hayes	....	assistant music editor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Joe Castiglione	....	driver
Raggie Crute	....	driver
Timothy Paustian	....	transportation captain (as Tim Paustian)
Thomas Reilly	....	driver (as Tommy Reilly)

Other crew
Matt Anderson	....	set production assistant
Ali Aroyan	....	production office intern
James Bang	....	intern: Likely Story
Bruce Bell	....	set medic
Julia Berg	....	assistant: Andrew Bergman
Ed Blythe	....	intern: Likely Story
Juan Caban	....	unit production assistant
Gabriel Cardier	....	set intern
Andrew Cesana	....	script supervisor (as Andrew G. Cesana)
Alison S. Cohen	....	legal services: Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz (as Alison Cogen)
Derek Crolla	....	production office assistant
Diana DeJesus	....	additional production assistant
Sierra Gallardo	....	set intern
Hilary Geier	....	legal services: Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz
Laurie Gershon	....	product placement and clearances
Mary Gillen	....	intern: Likely Story
Abigail Hansen	....	set intern
Ronnie Joseph Higgins	....	set production assistant (as Ronnie Higgins)
Rolando Hudson	....	location scout
Joshua Huffman	....	production coordinator
Grégoire Jeudy	....	set intern (as Gregoire Jeudy)
Melissa Kalbfus	....	script supervisor (as Melissa Kalbfus Paliocha)
Andrew Katz	....	production office intern
Lisa Kiesel	....	set production assistant
Sarah Koblenz	....	production office intern
Jordan Langsam	....	set intern
Sarna Lapine	....	assistant: Nicole Holofcener
Matt Levin	....	intern: Likely Story (as Matthew Levin)
Michael B. Lewis	....	production secretary (as M. Baldwin Lewis)
Mia Lidofsky	....	set intern
Anthony Lote	....	key production assistant
Jenny Lovin	....	first assistant accountant
Gabriella Ludlow	....	legal services: Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz
Albert J. McEvoy	....	set production assistant
Michaela McKee	....	production office intern
Ross Miller	....	insurance services: D.R. Reiff & Associates
Claire Newlands	....	accounting clerk
Michael O'Mara	....	production office intern
Rob Pellecchia	....	legal services: Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz
Diego Pina	....	first chef
Daniel Pizarro	....	parking coordinator
Bennett Pozil	....	bank loan: Natixis
Janice Roland	....	unit publicist: Falco Ink
Chris Saddler	....	set intern
Noeman Samdani	....	production office intern
Bill Saxelby	....	set intern
Richard Scali	....	production office intern
Kevin R. Shields	....	set production assistant (as Kevin Shields)
Lisa Simon	....	set production assistant
John Skidmore	....	assistant production coordinator
Collin Smith	....	location manager
Julie Solomon	....	location scout
Brian Stearns	....	bank loan: Natixis
Julio Torres Jr.	....	second chef
Julio Torres	....	craft service
Shannon Treusch	....	unit publicist: Falco Ink
David Velasco	....	assistant location manager
John L. Vennema	....	additional production office assistant
Dennis Voskov	....	location assistant
Brandon Weiss	....	set intern
Michael Wiggins	....	key production accountant
James Windeler	....	intern: Likely Story
Justin Benson	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Pete Hayes	....	post production accountant (uncredited)
Sara Seligman	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Gabe Allanoff	....	special thanks
Joe Allanoff	....	special thanks
Terra Bliss-Alvarez	....	special thanks
Ted Hope	....	special thanks
Mike Jackman	....	special thanks
Emily Perl Kingsley	....	special thanks
Tory Metzger	....	special thanks
Joel Pearlman	....	special thanks
Rose Rothe	....	special thanks
Jerry Stoeffhaas	....	special thanks
Diana Victor	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Sony Pictures Classics (presents)
• Likely Story
• Feelin' Guilty

Distributors

• Columbia TriStar Warner Filmes de Portugal (2010) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Mongrel Media (2010) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2010) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2010) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2010) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Village Roadshow Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Village Roadshow Entertainment (2009) (New Zealand) (theatrical)
• Home Box Office (HBO) (2012) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (France) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• & Company (visual effects)

Other Companies

• ARRI  camera: grip and lighting equipment
• Avatar Studios  score recorded and mixed at
• CSC  camera: grip and lighting equipment
• Checkmark  funding
• D.R. Reiff & Associates  insurance services
• David Dreishpoon's Gourmet Craft Service  catering (as David Dreishpoon's Gourmet Catering)
• Deluxe New York  digital intermediate
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Eastern Script Service Inc.  script clearance
• Entertainment Partners  payroll services
• Falco Ink.  unit publicist: UK
• Film Finances  completion bond
• Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz  legal services
• Madison Gate Records  score album
• Natixis Coficiné  bank loan (as Natixis)
• Skywalker Sound  post-production sound services
• Sony Pictures Classics  funding

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sexual content and nudity

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45094) | Ireland:15A | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:M18 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Sony Pictures Classics

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'.

Quotes:

Mary:But you're not a doctor...
Rebecca:No... I'm not a doctor. But neither you are.
Mary:I never said I was.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Richard Roeper & the Movies: Please Give (#1.43)" (2010)

Soundtrack:

Tones of Meditation

A very New York City kind of movie

Please Give (2010) was written and directed by Nicole Holofcener. It's a very New York City kind of movie. The plot revolves around the purchase of an apartment by two urban professionals. (They're not that young, so they're not yuppies, although they probably were yuppies in their day.) At present, they make an apparently excellent living buying up old "classic" furniture, and reselling it in their storeroom. Catherine Keener plays Kate, the wife, and Oliver Platt is her husband Alex.

The problem with the purchase of the apartment is that it's still occupied by an older woman, and the agreement is that she will live there until she dies. Into the mix come the woman's two granddaughters--Rebecca Hall as Rebecca, the "plain" sister, and Amanda Peet as Mary, the gorgeous sister. (Rebecca Hall is only plain by Hollywood standards, and Amanda Peet is gorgeous by those same standards.)

The film has several plot threads moving forward simultaneously, but the one that interested me the most was Kate's ambivalence about her source of income. Obviously, if you're selling any used furniture--classic or otherwise--you have to buy low and sell high. However, Kate is clearly guilt-ridden about making money because she knows furniture value and the sellers--usually children of a recently deceased parent--don't know these values.

She also feels guilty about street people, and tends to give them ten- or twenty-dollar bills as she walks along the street. She really wants to help disadvantaged people, and checks out a residence for the frail elderly and a day program for developmentally disabled people to see if she can volunteer.

Catherine Keener is an appealing actor, and her character is basically likable. However, as I thought about it, Kate's guilt doesn't lead to any really effective action. Yes, she agonizes about the furniture, but she buys and sells it anyway. And, although her motivation to help the less fortunate is clear, she doesn't actually accept the volunteer positions. She thinks about them, and she cries, but she doesn't really do anything. Still, you can't deny the honesty of her emotions.

This is a movie in which, objectively, nothing truly major happens. However, the characters are changed by the events in the film. They are imperfect and they don't become perfect, but they're interesting and you care about them.

As I wrote at the beginning of the review, this is a very New York City kind of movie. It crackles with realistic NYC atmosphere, and you get a real sense of the city. I could almost feel myself walking along the sidewalk with Kate or Alex.

All in all, I think this is definitely a film worth seeing, and it will work well on DVD. My guess is that opinions about this movie will vary tremendously. I liked it, but others may have equally compelling reasons to dislike it. See it yourself and make your own decision.