'Enough Said' Premieres At TIFF; Shows Off James Gandolfini's Lighter Side

Enough Said, James Gandolfini’s penultimate feature film, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday.

Enough Said, a romantic comedy, stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as a single mother dating Gandolfini’s character, Catherine Keener and Tony Collette, and has garnered attention, not only for being one of Gandolfini’s last films, but also for being good. Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener (Please Give), Enough Said provides the audience with a comical look at divorce and the anticipation of an empty nest (both Louis-Dreyfus and Gandolfini both have daughters about to head off to college.) The film also serves to present a more lighthearted side to Gandolfini, who most know from his dark, and slightly scary, turn as Tony Soprano in HBO’s The Sopranos.

“James plays this character Albert who is exceptionally dear and kind and thoughtful and self-effacing and very gentle and in fact this is very close to who Jim himself was,” Louis-Dreyfus said in a video interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

“He didn’t believe he could play a romantic lead, even though everyone on set thought he was sexy and hilarious. He was charming and self-effacing and incredibly talented. Not only did he pull off playing a leading man, his performance is subtle and moving and very, very lovely,” Holofcener said of Gandolfini in July.

Critics agree that Enough Said allows audiences to glimpse into the diverse ability of Gandolfini.

“The performance suggests that the actor [Gandolfini] had a greater range than his prior roles had allowed him to display or develop; to see him reveal such open, good-humored humanity in this film spurs pangs of emotion and sorrow for his passing at unpredictable moments throughout the film,” writes The Hollywood Reporter critic Todd McCarthy.

“[Enough Said] will likely be remembered as one of his [Gandolfini’s] warmest, most vulnerable and enjoyable performances. Never vain or self conscious, the actor… gamely embraces a character whose unhealthy diet and sizable gut are regular subjects of conversation and occasional contempt,” writes Justin Chang of Variety.

In light of Gandolfini’s sudden death in June, Holofcener is concerned that Enough Said’s sometimes critical take on Gandolfini’s role would be seen as a mark against the actor himself.

“I feared that people would think I was being mean and insensitive because there’s a lot of stuff about his character being overweight and not good enough. But he really rises to the occasion, and the character has real integrity,” Holofcener told The Hollywood Reporter.

Holofcener also wanted to be respectful to the actor’s family, and reportedly planned a private screening for Gandolfini’s family, including his wife Deborah Lin, almost a month ago.

“But they really liked it. I’m so happy. They felt like they got to spend more time with him in a way that was close to what he really was,” Holofcener said of the family’s reaction.

Enough Said opens in theaters Sept. 20.

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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