The Savages Review

I recently watched the movie "The Savages" starring Laura Linney, Philip Seymour and Philip Bosco. My wife got it from Netflix. It was originally released in 2007. Because of my work on the website, I was really interested in the movie. The story is about a brother and sister who need to make decisions about what to do with their aging estranged father who was abusive to the children when they were young. Their mother has already passed away and the problems start when their father is evicted from his girlfriends house. The father, Lenny Savage, ho no place to go and no one to help him so the burden fall back on the children. The acting in the movie was excellent, they really made the story real.
Although the movie was originally release to entertain, this is not a very light subject and I would not recommend it for casual viewing. The dominant emotions in the movie are pain, guilt and anguish. Not emotions you want to activate on an everyday basis or a date night. The movie is how ever a great educational film.
If you are in a similar situation, caring for a parent or loved one, this movie will demonstrate that you are not alone. It demonstrates, very well, that everyone who puts part of their family into an institution struggles with the decision and financial impact. At one point Wendy Savage visits an upscale and very expensive facility as an option to the standard facility. These assisted living and nursing home facilities are all across the country and some cost over a hundred thousand dollars/year. In the movie, the father has no retirement funds so the family would have to foot the bill. Jon Savage, the brother, goes on a rant about how this is just to help with the guilt of institutionalizing their father and financial impact would devastate their lives. He also states that sending their facther to the facility is just to help reduce the guilt of sending their father to a public home. Everyone wants the best for their family, even if the family member was less than best. This movie shows the realities to caring for aging parent.
If you are struggling with decisions about an aging parent or loved one, this movie will show you that you are not alone. It is a difficult life and you rarely get any thanks. I would define recommend this film for all those children of "baby boomers" that will be care taking for a family member. Just make sure you have a box of tissue ready before you start the movie.