Please Give (2010) ***

Please GiveIf to lend terminology from the world of painting, this film reminds me more of an overloaded sketch than a full painting. The filmmaker, Nicole Holofcener, packs loads of ideas and problems onto her band of good actors, occupying a small space, and then tries to sort through it as she goes along. This is not to say that the film is not entertaining or resonates with moments true to life, yet it felt more like a good idea for an ongoing TV Soap than a film suited for theatrical release. To quote Billy Wilder’s good advice to Jack Lemmon – do less...