Being that I love good romantic comedy as much as the next guy… wait a minute… guys aren’t supposed to like romantic comedies. Perhaps I should say I love a romantic comedy as much as the next woman, because I really do love a good romantic comedy. Fortunately, “Something’s Gotta Give” is a good romantic comedy, is a bit of a predictable one. Meet Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson), the aging owner of one of he largest Rap record labels in the country. At 63, Harry still loves women. That is as long as they haven’t turned 30. He lives the wild playboy lifestyle and beds every young chick he can get his grubby little hands on. His latest squeeze, Marin (Amanda Peet) invites him to spend the weekend at ‘her’ house in the Hamptons. While Harry plans for a weekend of meaningless sex, the surprise appearance of Marin’s mother Erica (Diane Keaton) and Aunt Zoe (Frances McDormand), changes things drastically. As opposed to any oral escapades, Harry engages in several bouts of verbal sparring that eventually culminates in a heart attack.

His doctor (Keanu Reeves) turns the heads of all the women, but finds himself focused on Erica. Harry now finds himself stuck in the Hampton house where hilarity, and eventually, love ensues.

“Something’s Gotta Give” is a refreshing film, in that we get a rare glimpse at love after 60. Younger people tend to forget that no matter how old you get, you can still experience the excitement of that first touch or kiss. Love can make you giddy as a school kid whether your 17 or 70. We also have a habit of considering the thought of love or sex between older people to be gross. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s just that most people don’t realize this until they are there. Sure, the body parts me be sagging and the skin not quite so supple, but the effect love can have on perception is nothing short of magical.

I enjoyed the story as written and directed by Nancy Meyers, but it’s not without its problems. Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton are both terrific actors (well, Jack is Jack), and here they are certainly at the top of their game, but having them in the film just made it a little too ‘Hollywood’ for me. This is more a story I would have like to have seen with lesser known actors, just so I could more easily escape into the fantasy. This is not a complaint, but merely a minor preference on my part.

Getting into the area of complaints, I have three. Amanda Peet, Keanu Reeves, and Amanda Peet. Reeves may be able to pull off a character like Neo from “The Matrix” because he is often replaced often by a CGI generated version of himself that is less bland than he is. I really think Meyers should have considered utilizing a CGI generated doctor so they could program in a personality. Then there’s the matter of Amanda Peet. She counts as two complaints, simply because she is one of the most annoying non-actresses working today. This title used to be held by Juliette Lewis, but Peet makes her look like Katherine Hepburn. I have yet to see a movie where he quality wasn’t lowered by the casting of Amanda Peet, and though she doesn’t completely ruin “Something’s Gotta Give”, she certainly makes it less than it could have been.

One of the concerns I had when I finally saw the movie was the much-touted ‘nude scene’ by Diane Keaton. I was worried that it was going to be gratuitous, and done for no other reason than to spur new interest in this otherwise fine actress. As it turned out, the scene was actually quite funny and brief enough to keep it from being tasteless. I would have to question the choice to give the film a PG-13 rating, however. (That wacky MPAA.)

I was glad to see the casting of Paul Michael Glaser as Erica’s ex-husband. I’ve been a fan of his work since the old “Starsky and Hutch” days, but even more so from “Fiddler on the Roof.” He has since gone on to direct a slew of movies, but it’s great to see him in front of the camera again.

The DVD release of “Something’s Gotta Give” offers up a couple of worthwhile extras, most notably the commentary by Nancy Meyers and Jack Nicholson. Again, Jack is Jack, and he peppers the conversation with a lot of jokes and stories from the set. The other commentary by Meyers, along with producer Bruce Block and Diane Keaton is a little less humorous, but does include some moments of interest.

The only other extras are a deleted scene of Jack Nicholson singing karaoke to Diane Keaton, which a hilarious scene, but I can understand why it was cut. The other is a tour of the Hampton house set, which would have been interesting but as it was hosted with a vapid flair by Amanda Peet, watching it was pretty much torture.

In spite of some of the unfortunate casting choices in “Something’s Gotta Give”, the performances by Keaton and Nicholson as well as the sharply written script make it an overall delight. (One tip I can recommend is to replace Peet with another actress in your mind’s eye and it will make her scenes go down a little easier.)

Directed by: Nancy Meyers
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Frances McDormand, Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau
Extras: audio Commentary with writer/director Nancy Meyers, Diane Keaton and producer Bruce A. Block, Audio Commentary by writer/director Nancy Meyers and Jack Nicholson, Deleted Scene, Hampton House set tour with Amanda Peet, Cast and Crew Filmographies
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16X9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 3/30/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG (Sexual Content, Brief Nudity and Strong Language)
Website

We'll give Something's Gotta Give a B-.