Please Give
Please Give offers up a pleasant slice of New York surrounding the last days on earth for Andra (Ann Guilbert), a rather nasty grandmother of two sisters - the vivacious Mary (Amanda Peet) and the younger more serious Rebecca (Rebecca Hall). Mary s a beautician on the rebound obsessed with the woman who stole her man and constantly feels the need to justify her vocation to her clearly brighter lab technician sibling. Conversely Rebecca lacks her sister’s sensuality and has trouble getting a date. Andra lives in the apartment next to Alex (Oliver Platt) who is married to Kate (Catherine Keener), the real protagonist of the story. Alex and Kate run a very successful second hand furniture store recycling unwanted heirlooms. Kate feels guilty about this and is constantly trying to make amends by helping the needy yet she won’t spend any money to bolster her awkward teenage daughters self esteem. Kate is the only one feeling guilty in the guilty pleasure of a movie since Alex has designs on Mary and both he and Kate have designs on Andra’s apartment. If only she’d die they’d be able to purchase a needed extension of their own suite. For a few brief weeks the lives of these quirky and not all that likeable characters intersect in this gentle comedy.