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Lovely & Amazing (2002)
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Synopsis:
Academy-Award nominated actresses Catherine Keener ("Being John Malkovich") and Brenda Blethyn ("Secrets & Lies") star in Nicole Holofcener's follow-up feature to her critically acclaimed debut "Walking and Talking." A finely observed comedy, LOVELY & AMAZING is an intimate family...
Academy-Award nominated actresses Catherine Keener ("Being John Malkovich") and Brenda Blethyn ("Secrets & Lies") star in Nicole Holofcener's follow-up feature to her critically acclaimed debut "Walking and Talking." A finely observed comedy, LOVELY & AMAZING is an intimate family portrait of four hapless but resilient women and the bittersweet lessons they learn in keeping up with the hectic demands of their individual neuroses.
Jane Marks (Blethyn) is the matriarch of a confused trio of daughters that seems to have nothing in common, except for a peculiar sort of idealism -- a heady brew of vanity, insecurity and humor. Former homecoming queen Michelle (Keener), the eldest daughter, is in a loveless marriage with a spouse who does not appreciate her decidedly obscure artistic endeavors. Younger sister Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer), an insecure actress whose career is beginning to take off, compulsively takes home stray dogs, saving them whether or not they need to be saved.
Only the youngest sister, Annie, an adopted African American eight-year old, seems to stand a chance at rising above the family's legacy. But on the threshold of what promises to be a confusing adolescence, Annie has developed a preoccupation with her appearance -- natural enough for a pre-teen-- but given her adoptive family's history, quite possibly a hint of what's to come.
Each of the women seeks redemption in her own haphazard way, but whatever salvation they find is illusory and shortlived.
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Catherine Keener, Jake Gyllenhaal, Brenda Blethyn, Emily Mortimer, Raven Goodwin
Screenwriter: Nicole Holofcener
Producer: Ted Hope, Anthony Bregman, Eric D'Arbeloff
Composer: Craig Richey
DVD Info
Release:
Sep 9, 2003
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Widescreen
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Additional Release Material:
- Cast & Crew Interviews
Reviews
By the end of it all I sort of loved the people onscreen, even though I could not stand them. Perhaps the film should be seen as a conversation starter. It's not an easy one to review.
Holofcener has crafted a comedy which acknowledges not just our neuroses about our bodies, but also the messy, ambivalent complexities of adult family relationships.
Has a lovely feel, interactions that are real & unafraid to broach life's insecurities -- ie: personal appearance from hair to body fat. However, doesn't add up to amazing.
Captures the body-image insecurities of women while delving more than skin-deep into her characters' psyches.
Not long enough to be a ‘message movie’, but insightful enough to hold our attention while exploring the lives of these characters.
After this, you'd like to think that the studios might let Holofcener turn her attention to a few more US TV shows. They need talents like her.
A refreshing reminder that not every movie about women must be a hollow, empty, self-indulgent 'chick flick.'
"Lovely and Amazing is a story about real people. These people are insecure about their lives. They aren’t convinced that there’s some inner beauty about them. They see themselves as I suspect most people do, mostly for the flaws. However, these are still
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