We lost one of the greats on June 19th, 2013, as that’s when we lost James Gandolfini. A guy built like him, you’d think that he’d always be typecast to play tough guys, but that's exactly what made him interesting, because that wasn’t the case.
Sure, he did play his fair share of heavies, but he was also able to stretch his abilities in fascinating ways. For instance, I recently wrote about his role as the voice of Carol in Where the Wild Things Are. While he did sound angry, you could also hear that he was scared deep down inside, too. What range!
Speaking of range, he used it to his full ability in my favorite Gandolfini movie, 2013’s romantic comedy, Enough Said. Here’s why I love it so much.
For Such A Tough Looking Guy, Nobody Could Play Vulnerable Like James Gandolfini
At the end of The Sopranos, we see Tony coming out ahead after defeating the New York crew led by Phil Leotardo (Played by the late, great Frank Vincent). So, to celebrate his “victory,” he takes his family out to one of their favorite restaurants, and…well, by this point, I’m sure you know the controversial ending. However, here’s the thing: what’s great about that whole scene is that Tony's vulnerability is radiating off the actor. Whether you think he lived or died, it doesn’t matter. What the audience is left with, though, is a sense that Tony is not safe, and he’ll never be safe. He just has to live (or not) with that knowledge.
James Gandolfini plays an even more vulnerable character in Enough Said. It’s not a loud performance, like Tony Soprano, but his vulnerability is evident all the same. Gandolfini plays a divorced man with a teenage daughter who’s going off to college. Even though it’s typical to see female characters having the whole Empty nest syndrome thing, we see it from Gandolfini’s character, Albert, as he’s struggling to prepare for his daughter’s departure.
Gandolfini doesn’t play this as a big, shouting moment, but rather, it’s quite understated. You can see it in his eyes when he talks about his daughter, played by Eve Hewson. You can also hear it in his voice when he talks about how sophisticated she is when Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character, Eva, asks about a bag in his kitchen.
Oh, and about Dreyfus. The crux of this film is Albert’s budding relationship with Eva, and I’ll get into that next.
Gandolfini Has Genuine Chemistry With Julia Louis-Dreyfus
You know what? If Gandolfini and Dreyfus were ever in a movie together prior to Enough Said, I don’t think I would ever, in a million years, “ship” them. Dreyfus, the star of Seinfeld, Veep, and so much more, just doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who would go for somebody like Gandolfini, and that’s played up in this film as well.
Early on, when Albert meets Eva at a party, he’s attracted to her, but she’s not physically attracted to him, which again lends itself to how vulnerable Gandolfini’s character is. She views him as overweight and doesn’t really think they would hit it off due to her lack of attraction. However, once they do start dating, you get a sense that things will actually work out. That is, of course, until she has her image of him tainted by a new friend and client of hers, played by Catherine Keener, who is also Albert’s ex-wife.
Before that, they had real chemistry together. He has a subtle sense of humor, which mixes well with Eva’s broader and louder sense of humor. He also has a deep inner world, whereas Eva is quite neurotic, so you’d think their personalities would clash, but not really. It’s not until Eva lets her neurosis eat away at their relationship that things start to go awry.
It also doesn’t help that she’s been keeping it a secret that she’s been speaking to his ex-wife on multiple occasions. That said, without the necessary conflict involved with the ex-wife, Albert and Eva really do seem to complement each other well. It’s quite wonderful.
The Story Takes Its Time, And It’s Rewarding Because Of It
At the top of this article, I discussed how James Gandolfini played tough guys, but he didn’t just play tough guys, and that really works in this film’s favor since Albert is not tough. That’s why the secret that Eva is hiding from him, that she knows his ex-wife is like the equivalent of a ticking bomb, since you know he’s going to find out eventually.
However, what’s interesting is that throughout the film, we’re just waiting to see how he’s going to react to the news. Is he going to flip out like Tony Soprano and punch a hole in the wall? Or, is he going to cry in his beer and mope? The answer is neither. In fact, just like the rest of the movie, his reaction is very subtle but impactful. Albert tells Eva that she broke his heart, and he’s very quiet about it, saying that the worst part is that she made a fool out of him in front of his daughter. Meanwhile, Eva is crying because she wanted it to work out, but she realizes that she messed everything up herself by listening to her client rag on him all day.
The build-up to this moment, where they’re going out on dates, spending time together, and just enjoying each other’s company, is what MAKES this moment so impactful. The whole film, we just want Eva to tell Albert that she’s been talking with his ex-wife. We don’t like being in on the secret, since we know it will make Albert feel.
The way Gandolfini pulls this off is masterful. We understand that Albert is not Tony Soprano. He’s not a tough guy, and he’s just had his heart broken. Honestly, it’s the performance of a lifetime.
It’s A Romantic Comedy That Feels Like It’s Directed Squarely At An Older Demographic
Enough Said didn’t make our list of the 50 best romantic comedies, but it’s actually my favorite, with Silver Linings Playbook coming in at a close second. And, it’s mostly because Enough Said is for old people, like me (Well, maybe slightly older, but still!).
Because that’s the thing about rom-coms. I feel like the vast majority of them are directed toward young people. The whole, will-they, won’t-they trope just works when you have two young people who shouldn’t work on paper, but do work for real. And, in my younger years, I liked stories like Chasing Amy and (500) Days of Summer, because I guess I could see myself somewhere in those young characters’ relationships.
That said, the older I get, the more I appreciate movies like Enough Said, as the couple not staying together doesn’t necessarily seem like the end of the world. Instead, just like in real life, if it happens, great. If it doesn’t, well, at least you enjoyed your limited time with them, and that’s what we get here. It’s a movie that feels like it’s geared more toward an older demographic, where people need to be pragmatic about things.
For instance, given that you’re more cognizant of your own mortality the older you get, do you feel like wasting your time in a relationship with somebody who is being dishonest, or do you go back to being single, and at least confident that you’re not wasting your life with somebody who doesn’t truly value you?
It’s for that reason that this is my favorite Gandolfini movie.
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