Something’s Gotta Give (2003)

Copyright by the Doomster 2004

Rating (1 to 10) : 5

Summary: Harry is a 63-year old man still seducing women half his age. But he meets the mother of his recent fling and a spark develops. But will it be enough to persuade Harry to give up his “Who’s your daddy?” lifestyle?

Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson, Melvin Udall in “As Good As It Gets”) seems to have joie de vivre lifestyle. He is wealthy, single and thus independent, and can still seduce younger women. He’s the embodiment of the dream that every man going thru a mid-life crisis has. Currently, he is having a fling with a very beautiful woman in her 30’s Marin (Amanda Peet, Judith in “Saving Silverman”). He doesn’t have his health though and has a heart attack while visiting the Hampton beach house owned by Marin’s mother Erica. Erica (Diane Keaton, Kay Adams in “The Godfather”) is a divorced woman who is a successful playwright and she gets stuck having to take care of Harry in her Hampton home while he recuperates.

When Harry and Erica first meet unexpectedly, they do not hit it off. Harry views women of Erica’s age with some disdain while Erica views Harry as a chauvinistic and slightly perverted man for chasing women young enough to be his daughter. But after spending a few days together, both realize that they are attracted to each other more than they care to admit. There is a spark and in a situation where they are alone together, the romance blossoms.

Complications arise in this romantic comedy when the doctor who treats Harry, Julian (Keanu Reeves, Neo in “The Matrix”), falls for Erica in a parallel but separate May-December romance. Erica is flattered that someone younger than her finds her attractive after so many years of being divorced and single.

Harry regains enough of his health to return to his life in New York City, which means that he can go back to his old ways of chasing younger, attractive women. The question of the movie isn’t if Erica and Harry will end up together – Keanu Reeve’s performance as Erica’s suitor is flat and thus you never feel a competition for Erica between Harry and Julian. Instead, the question is if Harry will revert back to his life as a bachelor or will he give it up to be in a genuine relationship with Erica.

I’m not that impressed by this movie, mainly because Nicholson is playing the same character as he did opposite Helen Hunt in “As Good As It Gets”. Melvin Udall, Nicholson’s character in the aforementioned movie, was a writer while in this movie, it’s the opposite character (Erica) who is the writer. We find out that Harry, like Udall, has isolated himself from true love. In Harry’s case, he isolates himself by having superficial flings with younger women because, as Harry says, he “[J]ust likes to travel light.” In the end, Harry realizes that you can’t find true love until you commit yourself; like in “As Good As It Gets”, the woman makes him a “better man.”

The screenwriter (Nancy Meyers) recycled a proven role for Nicholson at the expense of creativity. And she kept using the analogy of likening a heart attack to being heartbroken to the point of being repetitive. Nicholson’s character was not much of a reach for him since he is known in real life as someone who does date younger women half his age.

Why you should or should not see this movie:

Some might get some amusement from this romantic comedy. There are some funny moments, like Harry denying he’s taking Viagra in front of the women at the hospital when he’s being treated for his heart attack. But if you’ve seen “As Good As It Gets”, you’ve already seen Nicholson’s role in a funnier movie. A rental, not worth going out of your way to see.

Memorable quotes

Erica: “Can I ask you something Harry?”

Harry: “Yeah sure, go ahead. Shoot.”

Erica: “What’s with all the young girls? I mean, what’s the story there? Really.”

Harry: “Just like to travel light.”

Erica: “You just like to travel – Oh God! I’m sorry but what does that mean?”

Harry: “Now see, a 30-year old gets that.”