IMDb > The Savages (2007)
The Savages
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The Savages (2007) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 47 | slideshow) Videos (see all 24)
The Savages (2007) -- A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.
The Savages (2007) -- Clip: Pull the plug
The Savages (2007) -- Interview: Phillip Seymour Hoffman "On the storyline"
There Will Be Blood (2007) -- Harry Smith speaks with Laura Linney, star of "The Savages," Lara Logan interviews Daniel Day Lewis, star of "There Will Be Blood," and Tracy Smith sits down with Keira Knightley, star of "Atonement."
The Savages (2007) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   13,042 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Tamara Jenkins
Writer:
Tamara Jenkins (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Savages on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 January 2008 (Singapore) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama more
Plot:
A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 12 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(50 articles)
George Clooney is The American
 (From MoviesOnline. 28 September 2009, 8:00 PM, PDT)
Anton Corbijn starts shooting The American with American George Clooney
 (From The Hollywood News. 28 September 2009, 4:14 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Best independent film of 2007! more (104 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Laura Linney ... Wendy Savage

Philip Seymour Hoffman ... Jon Savage
Philip Bosco ... Lenny Savage

Peter Friedman ... Larry

David Zayas ... Eduardo

Gbenga Akinnagbe ... Jimmy
Cara Seymour ... Kasia

Tonye Patano ... Ms. Robinson

Guy Boyd ... Bill Lachman
Debra Monk ... Nancy Lachman
Rosemary Murphy ... Doris Metzger

Hal Blankenship ... Burt

Joan Jaffe ... Lizzie

Sage Kirkpatrick ... Real Estate Agent (as Laura Palmer)
Salem Ludwig ... Mr. Sperry
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for some sexuality and language.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
114 min | USA:113 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | German | Cantonese
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS
Certification:
USA:R (Approved No. 43278) | Canada:14A | Ireland:15A | Singapore:NC-16 | Germany:12 | Brazil:12 | Sweden:Btl | Hong Kong:IIA | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-7 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating)
Filming Locations:
Buffalo, New York, USA more
Company:
Fox Searchlight Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is older brother to Wendy (Laura Linney). In real life, Linney is older than Hoffman. more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the scene where John is teaching his class, he receives a phone call, a student raises her hand and calls him Mr. Savage. However, earlier in the film it is learned that he has his a PHd, therefore she should have referred to him as Dr. Savage. more
Quotes:
Jon Savage: [about his girlfriend] She's moving back to Poland.
Wendy Savage: What,you and Kasia broke up?
Jon Savage: No,her visa expired.
Wendy Savage: So that's it? Her visa expires,and it's over.
Jon Savage: It's either that or we get married and no one's ready for that.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "The Oprah Winfrey Show: And the Nominees Are..." (2008) more
Soundtrack:
Cheek to Cheek more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
17 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
Best independent film of 2007!, 6 January 2008
10/10
Author: Red-125 from Upstate New York

The Savages (2007) was written and directed by Tamara Jenkins. Jenkins gets everything right in this film about three family members who barely connect with each other. Laura Linney plays Wendy Savage--a NYC playwright who works as a temp and waits for an artistic breakthrough. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays her brother Jon, who teaches drama at a college in Buffalo. Although the siblings aren't particularly hostile towards each other, they clearly don't have a close or affectionate relationship.

A health crisis makes it necessary for the two to travel to Sun City, Arizona, to care for their father. We only see Lenny Savage as an old man with dementia. He's not exactly a warm and loving person as the film opens. Moreover, we learn that he wasn't a great parent before the dementia, either. Both his son and his daughter don't keep in touch with him, nor he with them. Now they have to deal with a crisis that forces them together.

Hoffman and Linney are two of he finest actors on the screen today, and, when they play off against each other, the result is movie magic. Everything rings true--their love/hate relationship, their professional jealousy, and their disapproval of each other's love life. They aren't exactly the two people best suited to make life and death decisions about their father, but that's the reality they face, and they have to deal with it as best they can.

I've written almost 200 reviews for IMDb, and I've never even considered mentioning the casting director. This review is the exception. My compliments to Jeanne McCarthy, who has filled this movie with an extraordinary set of actors in small roles. Everyone Wendy and Jon meet looks right for the role--nurses, psychologists, administrators, aides, students, etc., etc. It would be worth seeing the movie again just to watch the actors who aren't stars.

There's also an excellent supporting actor. Peter Friedman plays Larry, the married man with whom Wendy is having an affair. Their scene in a motel room is short but both powerful and poignant. (Actually, every scene in which Linney appears is powerful and poignant, but Friedman holds his own in this one.)

We saw the movie in a theater, but an intimate film of this type should do well on DVD. Incidentally, most of the movie takes place in Buffalo, New York, and director Jenkins obviously has a real feel for the city and its people.

This may be the best independent film of 2007. Don't miss it!

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Savages (2007)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Buffalo not 'the East Coast' timoconnolly
Why is this billed as a comedy??? rdartigu
your college Prof a 'Dr.' or just 'Mr.'? clark_kent_10
Funniest Scene film_fest
Laura Linney's Wig abenmagic
LINNEY DESERVED THE OSCAR thompscr
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