Lovely & Amazing Movie Review:


Women have always and most likely always will be a mystery to me. Which is why it is ironic that a film written and directed by a woman, captured completely my confusion through the story of a mother and her three daughters. Perhaps it is the way the men are treated in this film. Don't get me wrong, they aren't treated bad, or at least no worse than the women, but they just seem to think in a different way than the women do.

As a matter of fact, writer and director Nicole Holofcener seems to understand the difference between men and women better than any of the characters in her film do.

Most of the story surrounds the events that three daughters must go through when their mother has complications with her liposuction. She is fored to stay in the hospital and the three daughters, two of which are grown and out of the house, must take care of each other.

The two older and biological daughters, played by Keener and Mortimer, seem to have a great deal of problems in their relationships merely because of communication problems. The older of the two suspects her husband of having an affair, so she picks fights with him and constantly attacks his character. In order to get back at him after one fight she takes a job at a one hour photo shop, where she meets Jordan, a high school student who would like a relationship with her.

The younger of the two sisters is a struggling actress who compulsively picks up stray dogs, which she sees to be lonely and lost, exactly how she feels. This insecure daughter doesn't feel that her boyfriend is there for her and also picks fights.

The third daughter is an adopted black girl having problems with her identity. She would rather have white skin and straight hair because that is what her mother has. Pre-pubescent and slightly overweight, Annie has trouble dealing with her mother being away.

Wonderfully written in a way that anyone can relate to and put together with fantastic actors, you would hardly know that this was an independant film if it weren't for the fact that it is so refreshingly original. Jake Gyllenhaal is especially fantastic as Jordon. It isn't often that you see an actor work so much in independant films by choice, but Gyllenhaal seems to constantly attach himself to original films like this. And I would take a film like that over a blockbuster big budget film anyday.

Ryan Izay

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