A Diane Keaton tribute: Film Group discusses "Something's Gotta Give"

As a tribute to Diane Keaton, who recently passed away, the Film Group elected to watch one of her films this month and met on 3^rd December at the Burleigh Arms to discuss the 2003 romantic comedy “Something’s Gotta Give”, starring Jack Nicholson alongside Keaton.

A predictable but enjoyable rom-com, the film follows Harry, a 63-year-old music mogul who only dates women under 30, and Erica, the accomplished playwright mother of his latest girlfriend. A weekend in the Hamptons goes awry when Harry has a heart attack, forcing him to recuperate under Erica’s reluctant care. Awkward intimacy, unexpected chemistry, and plenty of generational clashes follow—helped along by Keanu Reeves as the charming doctor who also falls for Erica.

Harry panics and bolts just as real feelings emerge, only to later discover Erica has channelled their whirlwind into a new play. After some soul-searching (and apologising to a long line of exes), he chases her to Paris. A love triangle briefly threatens to derail things, but this is Hollywood: Erica chooses Harry, and the film ends with marriage and a blended family dinner.

Written and directed by Nancy Meyers, the film fits neatly alongside What Women Want and It’s Complicated, celebrating mature, self-possessed heroines. Despite snooty critical reviews—including a 1-star drubbing from The Guardian—audiences embraced it, and Diane Keaton earned a Golden Globe for her performance. The soundtrack is superb, with classics from Armstrong, Marvin Gaye, Eartha Kitt and Paul Simon. The Hamptons house art is by Jack Vettriano.

In introducing the film, Mark reflected that it’s obvious Harry and Erica are destined to fall in love—Myers is out to prove that women of a certain age can be sexy, sexual, ambitious, and successful. But the film isn’t farce; it’s sharper than that. The dialogue sparkles, and a late-night conversation between the two—Erica challenging the “Escape Artist” profile Harry earned in New York Magazine, Harry questioning her trademark turtlenecks—shows real depth. Nicholson and Keaton are pitch-perfect. Nicholson seems to be playing a version of himself, while Keaton’s scenes writing her new play evoke classic Annie Hall. There’s even a rumour that Keaton fell in love with Nicholson during filming; they remained close friends, and he was reportedly devastated by her death. As the film puts it, “I have never lied to you. I have always told you some version of the truth.” One suspects Nicholson will never kiss and tell.

And the group’s verdict? Most people basically enjoyed it as a light piece of froth with a certain charm, but a few found it clichéd, trite and totally lacking in subtlety.  Although it was possible that young women were attracted by Harry’s fun, wealth and power, finding him genuinely attractive required a fair amount of suspension of disbelief.  Some were not great fans of either Nicholson (“always plays himself”) or Keaton (“always a foil for the male lead”), and a few felt the film was a waste of their acting talents. Was Keaton even comfortable in the role? Would McDormand have been better?   

As for the film being an illustration of the power of the older woman, perhaps it would have been better if Erica had ended up with the young Dr Mercer—or that Harry should simply have been killed off, as in Erica’s play.  And since the plot and outcome of romcoms is usually obvious in the first five minutes, the journey to get there has to maintain the viewer’s interest.  This one, at over 2 hours, overstayed its welcome. Why two panic attacks when one would do?  

We did all agree on one thing: the music was great—just not enough to totally rescue the film!