The Savages (2008)Movies

After an uncharacteristic mid-year losing streak with films like “Sunshine” and “Joshua,” Fox Searchlight is finding its groove again. I’ve just seen “The Savages,” with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney as frustrated sibling intellectuals who are forced to prepare their abusive, completely non-charming father for life and death in a nursing home. Tamara “Slums of Beverly Hills” Jenkins’ script is a strong contender for Best Original Screenplay, where it will probably face stiff competition from a movie I haven’t yet seen, Diablo Cody’s “Juno,” with Ellen Page and Michael Cera, which has drawn raves for its wit in the story of a teen pregnancy. That both of these scripts are by women is sure...