The Savages - A Story of Life For Grownups Who Have Experienced Life in a Non-Leave it to Beaver Family

In this intense drama you meet Jon and Wendy Savage, siblings in their forties, who are forced to deal with their father — whom they haven’t seen in years. Their father, played by Philip Bosco, has proven himself to be an abusive and angry parent whom neither of the siblings really want to have in their life. However, life has other ideas for them and they find themselves thrown into the position of caregiver when their father begins to suffer from a form of dementia.

Throughout the course of the movie, the viewer finds out that Dad has been thrown out of the Sun City, Arizona house that he had shared with his recently deceased girlfriend which is why the siblings are forced to come to his aid. Along with that you are made aware that Wendy, played by Laura Linney, blames her father for her so-called failure as a playwright and Jon, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, blames him for taking him away from a book that he is writing that is only stalled by a case of writer’s block.

In this story, however, there is no family quirk that makes for a relief from the reality of all the nasty stuff that the members of this family have done to one another. There is no wonderful forgiveness, but there is an oddly funny approach by the director who neither tries to absolve her characters of guilt or to demonize any of them for their feelings and actions. The main moral of the story as I see it is that a family can be anything but loving and accepting but when they need each other they will come together and realize that in times of trial each of them must get over the hurts of the past.

Overall, this is a great and emotional story of life as it really is and how people find themselves adaptable and available for one another in times of need. I would highly recommend this story for adult viewers. Be aware, however, that it is not appropriate for children under 17.

Tags: adult genre movie, Best picture, dementia, drama, Families, Growing up, Laura Linney, Philip Bosco, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tamara Jenkins, The Savages