Susan Granger’s review of “Something’s Gotta Give” (Columbia Pictures)
In this sophisticated romantic comedy, Jack Nicholson plays 63 year-old Harry Sanborn, a hip-hop/rap record producer who is incapable of relating to a woman his own age. He’s spending the weekend at the Hamptons beach house belonging to Erica Barry (Diane Keaton), the mother of one (Amanda Peet) of his twentysomething flings, when he suffers a heart attack. He’s rushed to a nearby hospital where a young ER doctor (Keanu Reeves) immediately recognizes Erica and showers her with avid attention. But she’s been divorced for years and is in no mood to suffer the indignities of having chauvinistic Harry recover in her care. Yet what choice does she have when he’s ordered to spend several days in the area under medical observation? That’s the playfully amusing battle-of-the-sexes set-up that writer/director Nancy Meyers (“What Women Want”) cultivates into a droll, touching observation on the contemporary dating scene and the universality of love and heartbreak – at any age. Despite the obvious plot contrivances, the meticulously-developed characters are compelling and perfectly cast, including supporting turns from Frances McDormand, Paul Michael Glaser and Jon Favreau. Lustrous, irresistible Diane Keaton performs with razor-sharp humor and a dazzling, delicious delicacy, radiant in a glow created by master cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. Self-assured Jack Nicholson so cleverly plays off his own brash off-screen image that their chemistry is not only splendid but downright combustible. It’s too bad that Oscar voters don’t recognize classy comedy with its own category. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Something’s Gotta Give” is a laugh-out-loud 9. For adult audiences, it’s a hilarious holiday delight.
