Something’s Gotta Give
★★★★
As I am growing older, I think I'm becoming a sucker more and more for the world of Nancy Meyers. I have seen Something's Gotta Give a few times and though I have always enjoyed it, I didn't connect to it. This time, I was completely charmed and immersed in this story. Though Erica and Harry (Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson) are quite a bit older than me, I found it easier to empathize with their struggles with intimacy. Individually, they both have conquered life through their businesses, but something is missing. It's so clichéd to say that love from one another is the only thing that can fill that void, but I truly felt the chemistry between these two characters.
What Meyers does so well as both a director and writer is capturing moments of connection with silence. As great and authentic as the back-and-forth between the characters is (Nicholson particularly hits every line of dialogue out of the park), she sets up moments of romance and awkwardness where so much is conveyed from a glance or a hesitation. The ensemble is pitch-perfect (Frances McDormand, Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau) and Meyers particularly uses Keanu Reeves to perfection. Though I'm still not convinced he could be a real doctor, his character's sincere admiration and lust for Erica is the perfect foil to Harry's advances.
Amongst all the humor and romance is a true vulnerability between Keaton and Nicholson. Whether they are exchanging reading glasses or literally baring it all, I truly appreciated how these powerhouses in cinema are not afraid to put themselves in unflattering situations. They embrace their age and though we can only hope to have an ounce of magnetism that Keaton and Nicholson possess, they are such good actors that when watching this movie, you feel like you are a reflection of their characters. As a straight-up rom-com, Something's Gotta Give hits all the notes, but what propels it a little higher in the genre is the ability to get better with age. Is it the movie or the person watching it? I don't know, but that is the power of Nancy Meyers and why her films hold up so well.
