Please Give this movie a chance

Summer thus far has been less than exciting for movies. Maybe it's changing tastes, but there is something wrong when I'm more excited for the Joan Rivers documentary, A PIECE OF WORK, than I am for TOY STORY 3, or any of the other "summer blockbusters." That being said, when staring at the movie marquee today I opted out of PRINCE OF PERSIA or SEX AND THE CITY 2 and voted to see the Manhattan based dramedy, PLEASE GIVE - starring Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet.

Nicole Holofcener, channeling her best Woody Allen delivers a compelling character study of a woman grappling with guilt. Catherine Keener plays Kate, a wealthy New York furniture dealer and mother. She, along with her husband Alex (Oliver Platt) buy the furniture from the children of their deceased neighbors and resell it in an upscale 5th Avenue furniture store. As their business expands, they make plans to expand their apartment: by buying the apartment of their elderly neighbor, Andra (Ann Morgan Guilbert) and waiting for her to die.

Guilbert is old, senile and cranky, and doesn't look like she's going anywhere anytime soon. She is cared for by her grand-daughter Rebecca (Rebecca Hall, donning a frumpy wardrobe, bad teeth and greasy hair). Amanda Peet plays her other grand-daughter, Mary, who could care less about her ailing grandmother.

Peet's relationship with Guilbert is the most authentic in the piece, and struck close to home, as all I could see in their correspondence was my relationship with my great-grandmother. Both speak their mind, no matter how rude, causing a huge clash and strain on Hall who attempts to make peace. I was Peet (which makes it even more awkward when Peet and Platt find themselves in some sexually uncomfortable positions).

Catherine Keener, fabulous as always, feels tremendous guilt for her success and doesn't seem to understand why her husband doesn't feel it as well. She carries her guilt on her sleeve and makes up for it by volunteering and handing out money to homeless on the street (much to the chagrin of her daughter, played by Sarah Steele). She can't handle it though, and while she feels like she should give back, she has a hard time actually doing so. Holofcener has written a beautiful disaster for Keener and it's entertaining to watch her unravel from the safety of the audience.

The characters have little to no arcs, but this film isn't about change. It is instead about being a fly on the wall and watching the intersecting lives of a handful in New York. The characters are compelling, and while of course we want them to change, it is not so unsatisfying to see them end precisely where they started.

Overall, I recommend seeing it if you're feeling something a bit off beat that will make you think. The performances and production value are strong and at 95 minutes, it's a quick glimpse into a life that isn't your own.

Please give this movie a chance, it might be a better option than the traditional summer fare.

Philanthropic: A Word I Can't Say

Not because it's bad. It's not a cuss word, don't worry. I just literally cannot pronounce it. I was trying all week to tell people that I was going to a fi-lən-ˈthrä-pik event, and I couldn't get the word out of my mouth.

That point aside - this weekend was the second Philanthro Production I attended. They are, as Mikey put it, events that make you "feel like you live in LA."



The First: Over the summer Nora, Justin and I went to SAVOR THE SUMMER, in which all proceeds benefited cystic fibrosis. It was a white party and Nora and I looked good. By the end of the night I looked terrible. fruit, chocolate, tacos and tequila stained my white ensemble. Worth it. This event was a blast. Free tequila before ten meant that when we got there at 9:30 we each downed way too many shots. I don't know if you know this about me- but three tequila shots is too many. Drunk Marcus loves tacos and so did the front of my outfit. Pretty people, loud music, food, and flowing booze. It was the type of event that makes you feel "so LA." I disappeared into the bathroom and came out to find all of my friends had already cabbed home. I walked.

The Second: Philanthro Productions threw another soiree this past weekend, ASPIRE. This party benefited homelessness. We joked that for every martini we drank, we were keeping a martini out of the hands of the homeless in an effort to get their lives back on track. But we paid our entrance fee and entered a room too small for the amount of people this event brought. That's great. the draw tot his event (not that events like these need a draw, everyone in LA wants to appear like they care about things other than themselves) was that it had food from some of the best restaurants in Venice. We pigged out on cupcakes and meatballs and steak and pasta and salad. And then we felt bad, given that the homeless are probably hungry. So we bought drinks (91% of our drink price goes to the charity).

All in all, they're great events. They're fun and you're going to spend that much on a night out anyways, might as well have it go to a good cause.

Now onto another point: Charity is a funny thing. It makes you feel good about yourself, but is that why you do it? It shouldn't be right? But it kind of is. Not that that's necessarily bad, just kind of interesting. People love causes. Look at Haiti, people have come out of the woodwork to support the 3rd world country rebuild after the devastating quake, but no one seemed to care that it was third world to begin with. Why does it take a huge event to make us notice those less fortunate? Why does it take someone getting cancer, to make someone an advocate for cancer research (which I am, by the way). Why are celebrities who donate to Haiti after a quake hailed heroes, but those who donate regularly ignored? It's all apart of image, I suppose. The more public the tragedy or the cause, the more publicity the philanthropic gesture gets.



We should start publicizing charities like mad, maybe they'll get more public donations.