Perhaps the most interesting observations in 'Please Give', Nicole Holofcener's new 'dramedy' about two families that live next to each other in a New York City apartment building, are not the main characters' personalities but rather their professions. Cathy (Elizabeth Keener) and Alex (Oliver Platt) run a second hand furniture store, usually obtaining merchandise from home owners who have recently lost a family member. Then there are the two sisters who live next door: Rebecca (Rebecca Hall) who is a radiologist assistant at a mammography clinic and Mary (Amanda Peat) who does facials at a salon.
'Please Give' begins with unsettling closeups of womens' breasts at the mammography clinic. When viewing these images at the beginning of the film, one wonders if this is going to be one of those intense dramas about people afflicted with cancer. We soon discover, however, that 'Please Give' focuses much more on inconsequential concerns.
The title refers to Cathy's overly altruistic nature. This is a woman who feels compelled to give money to homeless people whenever she bumps into them on the street. Her teenage daughter, Abby, is appalled by her mother's misguided altruism; in one scene, Abby takes a $20 bill away from her mother, who then pulls out a $5 bill, handing it to the homeless person, apologizing anyway that she doesn't have more to give him. Later, Cathy tries to land a job doing volunteer work, working with children with special needs; unfortunately, she becomes overly emotional about the nature of the handicapped kids' situation, which interferes with her ability to assist them on a practical basis.
One of the main story lines involves Cathy and Alex purchasing their next door neighbor's apartment. The apartment will only be for sale when Rebecca and Mary's grandmother, Andra, kicks the bucket. She's a petulant old woman with a foul mouth. Additional conflict pops up between Rebecca who disapproves of the way her sister Mary treats their grandmother (Mary perhaps being the film's antagonist, due to her cold-hearted disposition).
Little much else happens plot-wise in 'Please Give': Alex has a brief affair with Mary; Cathy argues about Abby's desire to purchase some expensive designer jeans; Rebecca begins going out with the grandson of one of the patients at the clinic; Cathy struggles with guilt feelings over the furniture markups and Andra finally does indeed kick the bucket.
All's well that end's well when Cathy and Alex seem to resolve their differences with their teenage daughter and agree to purchase those expensive jeans she's been craving all along.
Ultimately, Holofcener fails to develop her characters into full-realized human beings. Each has a quirky aspect to their personality and are placed in situations that I would hardly call 'riveting'. 'Please Give' is incredibly slow-paced and the laughs are few and far between. This film would have been much more compelling if the stakes were somehow raised and we were treated to a plot replete with all kinds of unusual twists and turns.
'Please Give' begins with unsettling closeups of womens' breasts at the mammography clinic. When viewing these images at the beginning of the film, one wonders if this is going to be one of those intense dramas about people afflicted with cancer. We soon discover, however, that 'Please Give' focuses much more on inconsequential concerns.
The title refers to Cathy's overly altruistic nature. This is a woman who feels compelled to give money to homeless people whenever she bumps into them on the street. Her teenage daughter, Abby, is appalled by her mother's misguided altruism; in one scene, Abby takes a $20 bill away from her mother, who then pulls out a $5 bill, handing it to the homeless person, apologizing anyway that she doesn't have more to give him. Later, Cathy tries to land a job doing volunteer work, working with children with special needs; unfortunately, she becomes overly emotional about the nature of the handicapped kids' situation, which interferes with her ability to assist them on a practical basis.
One of the main story lines involves Cathy and Alex purchasing their next door neighbor's apartment. The apartment will only be for sale when Rebecca and Mary's grandmother, Andra, kicks the bucket. She's a petulant old woman with a foul mouth. Additional conflict pops up between Rebecca who disapproves of the way her sister Mary treats their grandmother (Mary perhaps being the film's antagonist, due to her cold-hearted disposition).
Little much else happens plot-wise in 'Please Give': Alex has a brief affair with Mary; Cathy argues about Abby's desire to purchase some expensive designer jeans; Rebecca begins going out with the grandson of one of the patients at the clinic; Cathy struggles with guilt feelings over the furniture markups and Andra finally does indeed kick the bucket.
All's well that end's well when Cathy and Alex seem to resolve their differences with their teenage daughter and agree to purchase those expensive jeans she's been craving all along.
Ultimately, Holofcener fails to develop her characters into full-realized human beings. Each has a quirky aspect to their personality and are placed in situations that I would hardly call 'riveting'. 'Please Give' is incredibly slow-paced and the laughs are few and far between. This film would have been much more compelling if the stakes were somehow raised and we were treated to a plot replete with all kinds of unusual twists and turns.