Please Give starts with a series of… boobs, breasts, jugs and “chesticles” of all shapes and sizes. It’s quite an introduction for a smart coming-of-age comedy drama with Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet. Now this isn’t a flattering set of boob shots, but more of a flattening one as ordinary breasts are compressed for mammograms in what  seems like a gratuitous breast cancer awareness placement. Is it justified exposure… the jury jugs are still out.

Please Give’s intro ranks alongside A Touch of Spice, that spicy Greek film that starts with a baby breastfeeding on a full-screen nipple dusted with a little spice. Now the title and movie poster for Please Give makes it sound like the tag line for a half-baked blood donor agency with an 0-800 number. The truth of the matter is that it’s a slice-of-life dramedy, which deals with charity, ethics and love with an insightful take on modern society and a strong dose of bittersweet comedy.

Catch the rest of the movie review and the trailer after the jump…

Will you fall out of your seat laughing? Probably not… it’s got life’s unpredictable, messy and strange flow – making it dark, happy, sad and prickly in places.  The story centres on Kate (Keener) and Alex (Platt) in a typical New York apartment drama setting. They’re wanting to renovate and decide to purchase their elderly neighbour’s apartment on condition that she’s able to live there until she passes on.

It sounds like the setup for a commercial comedy like Duplex, but there’s more complexity to Please Give, making it more comparable with The Savages. The story opens itself up to dark comedy and churns around in life’s ethical grey area as the couple buy up classic furniture from the recently deceased for restoration and sale. The film works because it carries intelligent characters, a biting reality, a range of social conflicts and delves into such interesting relationships.

The direction is involving and slightly claustrophobic as Friends with Money writer-director Nicole Holofcener creates an apathetic New York atmosphere for her characters to come to life. Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt are supported by Rebecca Hall, Amanda Peet and Ann Morgan Guilbert as Andra.

WARNING: This is NOT a “chick flick”!

It’s a solid unit with equally solid performances, even from a hit-and-miss actress like Amanda Peet, who is quite devastatingly good alongside art house veterans Keener and Platt. The swirling drama gives all the actors a fair amount of screen time and Keener is generous as a lead, making the drama a shared experience.

Please Give is a mixed bag of comedy and drama. The tone is quite sharp and there’s no room for feel good or heartwarming sentiment. It’s got the potential for black comedy, but avoids the farcical  by presenting an equal balance of reverence and irreverence depending on the characters. If there’s any criticism, it’s that this New York story carries too much despair and too many dilemmas. The scope and drama is more suited to television and Please Give could even be a stage play, but the cast and performances make up the difference.

Prickly society comedy dramas are becoming increasingly popular. Please Give falls into the same box as The Savages, Friends with Money, Away We Go and The Good Girl. It’s a typical art film… as well as an entertaining character-driven slice-of-life comedy drama with good performances and insightful writing from Holofcener. It’s not exactly a first date movie… it’s the kind of movie you’ll only feel good about because it’ll make your life seem that much easier.

The bottom line: Prickly.

Release Date: 13 August, 2010

Watch ‘Please Give’ Trailer

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