Enough Said

Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, Enough Said is the story of a divorced, single-mother masseuse who meets a divorced man unaware that he was once married to her new poet friend. The film is an exploration into the life of two middle-aged single parents who deal with the departure of their children as well as trying to form a relationship. Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Ben Falcone, and Toni Collette. Enough Said is a charming and witty film from Nicole Holofcener.

The film is about a middle-aged, divorced single-mother who meets a divorced man at a party where she also meets a new client for her masseuse business. After a date with this man that manages to go well, the two deal with the fact that they both have daughters who are going to college where they bond while the woman learns that her client is the man’s ex-wife as she tries to comprehend her new situation as she deals with her new friendship and romance as well as her daughter’s departure. In some ways, the situation that Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) puts herself in is a coincidence as she spends her time massaging and befriending Marianne (Catherine Keener) who constantly badmouths her ex-husband Albert (James Gandofini) about why their marriage didn’t work. Yet, Eva tries to see what is exactly wrong with Albert as she becomes aware of the flaws he has but finds herself falling for him because he is also someone who is funny and full of heart.

Nicole Holofcener’s screenplay does explore the idea of a woman dealing with not just the changes of her life but also trying to deal with the impending loneliness she’s facing when her daughter Ellen (Tracey Faraway) is leaving. Though Eva would temporarily fill that void through Ellen’s friend Chloe (Tavi Gevinson) who has issues with her mother (Amy Landecker). Eva turns to her friends Sarah (Toni Collette) and Will (Ben Falcone) for help as she starts going into this relationship with Albert. While Albert is admittedly a bit insecure and can deal with his flaws, Eva has a hard time dealing with Marianne’s harsh words towards Albert where Marianne has no clue that Eva is dating Albert nor Albert knows that Marianne is Eva’s client. It’s all part of an interesting plot schematic where the truth does get unveiled where Holofcener knows how to balance both humor and drama to make it play into Eva’s own conundrum in her life.

Holofcener’s direction is quite straightforward in the way she balances comedy and drama as she prefers to keep things low-key. Yet, she largely focuses on Eva’s story as a woman who is in this transition of her life as she works as a masseuse where she does have some annoying clients that appear again and again. Much of the framing is simple and to the point while Holofcener find ways to make the comedy be low-key and direct including gags that involves Sarah’s testy relationship with her maid Cathy (Anjeleh Johnson-Reyes) who is often accused of putting strange things in drawers. Even as the third act where the truth about what Eva means to both Albert and Marianne comes into play where it pays off while it also showcases the sense of emotion that Eva goes through over the mess that is happening in her life. Overall, Holofcener creates a delightful and exhilarating film about a woman dealing with the changes in her life.

Cinematographer Xavier Perez Grobet does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography to play to the lovely look of the Southern Californian daytime locations along with the scenes set at night. Editors Robert Frazen and Nick Moore do nice work with the editing to play up with the film‘s humor through rhythmic cuts as well as to create methodical cuts to play out a bit of suspense that occurs late in the film. Production designer Keith P. Cunningham, with set decorator Douglas A. Mowat and art director Luke Freeborn, does fantastic work with the homes of the characters as well as the places they go to.

Costume designer Leah Katznelson does amazing work with the costumes from the more casual clothes that Albert wears to the more stylish clothes that Marianne and the younger women wear. Sound editor Lora Hirschberg does terrific work with the sound to play up some cool moments such as Eva and Albert‘s first date where they have to hear music in a loud volume. The film’s music by Marcelo Zarvos is wonderful as it‘s mostly folk-based to play to the film‘s low-key humor and drama while music supervisor Liza Richardson brings in music of the similar kind with the exception of a loud dance track at Albert and Eva‘s first date.

The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it includes notable appearances from Toby Huss as Eva’s ex-husband Peter, Kathleen Rose Perkins as Peter’s wife Fran, Amy Landecker as Chloe’s mother Debbie, Eve Hewson as Albert and Marianne’s college-bound daughter Tess who really thinks Eva is good for her dad, Anjeleh Johnson-Reyes as Sarah and Will’s maid Cathy, and as the trio of clients that Eva has, there’s Lennie Loftin, Jessica St. Clair, and Christopher Nicolas Smith as they’re all funny in their unique ways. Tavi Gevinson is terrific as Ellen’s friend Chloe who constantly crashes at Eva’s place in need of someone to talk to while Tracey Faraway is wonderful as Ellen who deals with going to college as well as trying to see how it would be by herself. Ben Falcone is excellent as Will who deals with Sarah’s obsession with her maid while Toni Collette is very funny as Sarah as Eva’s best friend who tries to help her with the many situations as well as her obsession with interior decorating.

Catherine Keener is amazing as Marianne as this revered poet who is going through a lonely period in her life as she and Eva becomes friends where Keener adds a lot of humor to her rants about Albert. Finally, there’s the performances of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandofini in their respective roles as Eva and Albert where both of them are remarkable in the way they react to each other as well as the comic time they have together. Louis-Dreyfus maintains that sense of naturalism in her comedy by doing so little in the way she reacts to things while proving herself to be very solid in the dramatic front. Yet, it’s Gandofini in one of his final performances that is the revelation where has this amazing sensitivity to his character that accepts his flaws while being someone who is quite lonely where he and Louis-Dreyfus add some weight into the situations they’re in as Gandofini is in top form with great help from Louis-Dreyfus.

Enough Said is a marvelous film from Nicole Holofcener thanks in part to the powerhouse performances of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini. The film is definitely one of Holofcener’s most engaging films as well as one of her funniest in the way she explores the anxieties of adults dealing with loneliness and changes. Especially as she is able to capture James Gandolfini in one of his great performances as it’s obvious how much he will be missed. In the end, Enough Said is an extraordinary film from Nicole Holofcener.

Nicole Holofcener Films: Walking & Talking - Lovely & Amazing - Friends with Money - Please Give - The Auteurs #22: Nicole Holofcener

© thevoid99 2013

The Auteurs #22: Nicole Holofcener

If there were one group of people that were able to thrive in the world of 1990s American independent cinema, it was women filmmakers as they were able to create films that actually said something about themselves rather than play to the expectations of what Hollywood wanted to say about them. One of these filmmakers who came from that world of 1990s American indie films was Nicole Holofcener as her work in films and television has provided many topics about the struggles for what women want in life whether it’s love, identity, or goals they want to achieve. With four feature films already to her credit and a new one on the way, Holofcener is definitely among one of the leading filmmakers for women who doesn’t fall prey to what Hollywood wants in defining the role of women.

Born in New York City on March 22, 1960, Holofcener was daughter of renowned artist/sculptor Lawrence Holofcener and film set decorator Carol though the parents divorced after Nicole was a year old. At age eight, Holofcener’s mother married film producer Charles H. Joffe who was known for producing the films of Woody Allen. Through her stepfather, Holofcener got her first experience into the world of film production at the sets of being in the films of Woody Allen where she was an extra in a couple of his films and eventually became a production assistant for A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy as well as an apprentice editor for Allen’s longtime editor Susan E. Morse on Hannah & Her Sisters. While attending Columbia University in New York City to study films, she was taught by another famed director in Martin Scorsese where Holofcener would make two shorts during the 1980s where one of them in Angry made its premiere at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival in its short films program.

The short was well-received as Holofcener knew she needed to break out on her own and not rely on her family for help. In the early 1990s, Holofcener worked as a writer for the Canadian teen drama Ready or Not while taking an acting gig for Allison Anders’ 1993 film Mi Vida Loca. It was around this time that Holofcener was developing her own script for a project that would put her in an already thriving indie film scene that were led by women.

Walking and Talking

Holofcener’s first film would revolve on the diverging paths of two longtime childhood friends as one of the women is about to get married while the other deals with life as a single woman. The film would explore not just the desires that women want in life as well as what they want in a man. It also explores the unique friendship between women that didn’t revel into schmaltz or sentimentality that is often common with films that are often tagged as chick-flicks. Instead, Holofcener wanted to create something that felt real as well as something that gave female audiences something that they’re able to relate to.

While the film would largely be a comedy as Holofcener definitely cited Woody Allen as an influence. The film would also be dramatic in some ways as it reveled in some of the tribulations the women would face. Set largely in New York City as well locations in the state of New York, Holofcener knew that she didn’t want to make a film that seemed typical of what audiences already knew of NYC while she also wanted to showcase a world that is quite youthful. Particularly as a few scenes would be set in small theaters and such where it plays to something that is a vibrant culture that was away from the usual landmarks that people had already seen.

The cast would largely consist of actors who were up-and-coming that include Anne Heche as one of the leads in Laura as well as Todd Field as Laura’s fiancee Frank, Liev Schreiber and Kevin Corrigan as two suitors of the other lead character in Amelia. For the role of Amelia, Holofcener chose Catherine Keener who had just been getting notices for her work in two acclaimed indie films by Tom DiCillo. Helping Holofcener to get funding was producer James Schamus who was already known for his association with Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee as he also brought in Alisa Lepselter to edit the film as she had been an associate editor for several filmmakers.

With a score provided by British folk-punk artist Billy Bragg, the film would revel into a lot of the anxieties women face in their 30s as it’s time to settle down as such. With Amelia still lost in the single life while envying Laura for getting married, Laura isn’t sure if she wants to get married to Frank as she starts to flirt around with a local theater actor. While Amelia is also dealing with her pet cat who is very ill, she also has to deal with some bad reactions towards a video clerk she briefly went out with after Laura said some things about him. In that same scene, Holofcener creates one of the film’s funniest lines in which Todd Fields asks “do we really have to listen to this vagina music all the way there?” while both Keener and Heche reply “yes”.

The film premiered at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival where it was a major hit with critics and audiences. Miramax released the film theatrically in the summer of 1996 where it got excellent reviews and decent box office receipts. The film would become a video hit as well as making Entertainment Weekly’s Top 50 Cult Films of All-Time list in an issue in the 2000s. The film’s success allowed Holofcener to not only gain clout but also cite her as one of the new voices for American indie cinema for emerging female filmmakers.

Lovely & Amazing

In the aftermath of the release of Walking and Talking, Holofcener took time away to be with family as well as directing various TV shows to help herself financially. It was during this time that Holfocener was working on her next project that would allow Holofcener to not only explore the roles that women play in the world but also to reveal themselves in a whole new way. Entitled Lovely and Amazing, the film would be a much more provocative feature as it explores the lives of a mother, her two adult daughters, and their adopted adolescent African-American sister. All of which are all trying to find something in themselves as well as questioning their goals in life.

The film would be very different from Holofcener’s previous film in terms of not just its location as Holofcener chose to set the film in California but also in its look. With the emergence of a much looser filmmaking style that was recalling the stripped-down world of Dogme 95, Holofcener chose to go with the new digital filmmaking format as she hired cinematographer Harold Bosmajian to shoot the film. The project would not only be more low-key in its look but also in setting to capture a sense of realism that Holofcener was craving for in a film that would be very complex.

Reuniting with Catherine Keener to play the role of the eldest sister Michelle Marks, Holofcener got a very diverse group of actors to fill out her ensemble. With Keener’s then-husband Dermont Mulroney playing the role of a film star, the cast would also included Jake Gyllenhaal, Clark Gregg, and James LeGros while British actresses Brenda Blethyn and Emily Mortimer would play their respective roles as Michelle’s mother Jane and younger sister Elizabeth. For the role of Michelle and Elizabeth’s adopted sister, Holofcener chose newcomer Raven Goodwin for the part.

The film would be Holofcener’s most complex film in terms of storyline and themes as its four central character in women are all very different as Blethyn’s Jane is a woman eager to look and feel young through plastic surgery as she also tries to flirt with her surgeon. Keener’s Michelle is a struggling artist trying to get her work available as her marriage starts to crumble while she eventually has an affair with her 17-year old photoshop boss, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Mortimer’s Elizabeth is an actress who is finally climbing yet she’s very insecure about her physicality while has a boyfriend who can care less about her career or her infatuation with dogs. Goodwin’s Annie is an overweight African-American child struggling with her identity as well as who she is.

Holofcener allows these four women to try and find themselves where some of it is comical but also dramatic. One particular scene that is considered one of the most uncomfortable usage of nudity is a scene where Elizabeth reveals herself to Dermont Mulroney’s Kevin McCabe. Elizabeth is standing around naked in front of him asking him what is wrong with her body. It is a very confrontational moment where McCabe is trying to be honest but not in a mean way as he is uncomfortable trying to reveal Elizabeth’s flaws. It’s a moment in film where Holofcener has men confront some of the expectations in what women want but also feel for the men for not wanting to be hurtful as the McCabe character is one of the few men in the film who means well.

The film premiered at the 2001 Telluride Film Festival in late August of that year as well as the Toronto Film Festival weeks later where it got rave reviews. The film got a limited theatrical release in the summer of 2002 where it became a major hit in the art house circuits. The film got some notices in the critical and award circuits despite no major nominations from the Golden Globes nor the Oscars. Yet, the film got six nominations at the Independent Spirit Award including Best Film and Best Director while Emily Mortimer won the Best Supporting Actress prize.

Friends with Money

The clout that Holofcener received for Lovely & Amazing gave her the chance to get more money for any project that she wanted to do as she decided to go for something more light-hearted as well as raise questions about the world of social classes. While it would be an ensemble-based project, it would be led by one character who is going through her difficulties in all sorts of ways such as financially and in a personal level. Even as her friends are all going through some personal issues of their own despite having money.

With Catherine Keener taking on a supporting role as one of the three women who are financially stable along with Joan Cusack and Frances McDormand. The lead role of Olivia would be given to an actress who has a big name but isn’t known for her talents as an actress as Holofcener took the big risk in casting Jennifer Aniston in the lead role. With Greg Germann, Scott Caan, Simon McBurney, Jason Isaacs, and Ty Burrell playing the roles of men, Holofcener decided to set the film in California like she did with her previous film but with a more polished look as well as a bigger budget in the form of $6.5 million.

With this film, Holofcener wanted to explore the life of a woman who is trying to find herself as she cleans houses to make a living while is having a harder time trying to find love. In giving the role to Aniston, it would allow Holofcener the chance to display Aniston’s comedic and dramatic talents without playing to the conventions of Hollywood. What Holofcener would do is prove that there is more to Jennifer Aniston than some of the Hollywood films she’s been in where Aniston is allowed to play someone who endures the humility of not having money or a stable life as well as making bad decisions.

Though the film is focused on Aniston’s characters, there are the other female characters who want to help her out yet they have their own problems as Catherine Keener’s Christine who is a screenwriter as she is going with her own marital issues as well as remodeling their house. Joan Cusack’s Franny isn’t as developed as the other three as she’s a trust-fund lady who wants to help Olivia but doesn’t understand why Olivia wouldn’t take her money. The character that stands out the most is Frances McDormand’s Jane who starts to become erratic as it relates to menopause as well as the suspicion that her husband could be gay. It all plays to Holofcener’s exploration of women trying to define themselves in a world that is often turbulent where it’s not about money but also realizing who they are and how they try to help each other.

The film was released in April of 2006 which is an unusual time to release an indie-based film yet the film managed to do well financially grossing $18 million despite a limited release while garnering excellent reviews. The film would also make an additional $29 million in DVD rentals/sales giving Holofcener more clout. Frances McDormand would win an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress as the film would help continue Holofcener’s winning streak.

Please Give

After exploring the world of finances and generosity with Friends with Money, Holofcener wanted to continue to explore the theme with the latter for her fourth feature film as she decided to return to New York City. Yet, it would revolve around two different sets of people in the form of a couple and their neighbor in sisters as it plays to the world of generosity, life, and looking for something to fill their lives. Even as they’re feuding to see who will get the apartment that sisters’ grandmother is living in as she is feeling very ill.

With Catherine Keener on board to play the lead in Kate as well as editor Robert Frazen who had just worked with Holofcener for Friends with Money. Holofcener would get a cast that would include Oliver Platt, Amanda Peet, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Ann Guilbert, Sarah Steele, Rebecca Hall to fill out the ensemble. With Keener and Platt playing vintage furniture sales while Peet and Hall play sisters who are taking care of their 91-year old grandmother. It would be a film that would explore the desires of people as well as those who want to give to the world. Notably as Keener’s Kate and Hall’s Rebecca character are those who are good where the latter is always there to help out her grandmother.

Holofcener also wanted to show some of the downside of generosity where Kate’s attempt to help people would often backfire or be misunderstood as she has a hard time trying to do good while dealing with her own teenage daughter. Even as she is becoming anxious over the fact that the furniture she sells is being sold again by a competitor while one key scene in volunteering for the disabled reveal the helplessness that Kate has come to realize. There also moments where Holofcener reveals some selfishness in the form of Peet’s character in Mary who is a cosmetologist and wants to help out Kate’s daughter with her own growing pains. Yet, she is also someone who is eager to have things that people could have which often has her neglecting her grandmother.

One aspect of the film that shows Holofcener’s sense of discomfort is the way she explores aging such as the film’s opening credits features images of women displaying their breasts during their examinations. It’s a moment that recalls some of the aspects of Lovely & Amazing while doing it in a more humorous manner. Even as it plays into the world of death as Ann Guilbert’s character does eventually die where there is an element of guilt but also some surprises as well.

The film premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival as well as playing out of competition a month later at the Berlin Film Festival. After a limited theatrical release in April of that year, the film did well critically and financially though it didn’t match the numbers of Holofcener’s previous film. Still, it helped establish Holofcener as one of the leading voices in American indie cinema.

Enough Said

Holofcener’s fifth feature film will be a comedy in the form about a divorce woman who falls for her new friend’s ex-husband. With Catherine Keener once again teaming up with Holofcener for the film, the cast would include Toni Collette, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and James Gandolfini. Set in Los Angeles, the film is slated for a 2013 release as it will explore some of the attributes of love and friendship as well as not wanting to do the wrong thing as it’s likely to showcase Holofcener’s range in comedy.

Additional Projects

One of the drawbacks of being an independent filmmaker is securing funding for projects as it’s even more difficult for women who don’t work in the Hollywood system. Fortunately, Holofcener is one of those filmmakers who is able to use her clout to work on projects for television that can not just help her financially but also take the chance to work between film projects. Her work in shows such as Sex & the City, Six Feet Under, Parks and Recreation, and Enlightened doesn’t just showcase her talents as a comedy director but also to help bring voice to shows led by women. Sex & the City is a key example as the episodes she directed involves such themes as threesomes and sexual dysfunctions that allow women to be engaged by the struggles these women have.

Another female centric-show Holofcener took part in is WB’s Gilmore Girls in the episode Secret and Loans in which Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory struggle with termites in their house as Lorelai is trying to find a way to help herself financially without the help of her mother whom she has a testy relationship with. It’s one of the most memorable episodes of that second season that includes a subplot in which Rory’s best friend Lane is trying to find herself as she takes a brief stint as a cheerleader.

Holofcener has been a key figure for cable shows from HBO like Sex & the City, Six Feet Under, Bored to Death, and the recently-cancelled Enlightened. The last of which was widely acclaimed as Holofcener directed two episodes that explores a woman’s attempt to rebuild herself after a professional and personal collapse that features some of the best work from its lead in Laura Dern.

Through her work in television and films, Nicole Holofcener is definitely one of the most unique voices as far as women filmmakers are concerned. While she may not be the visual artists like Sofia Coppola, Lynne Ramsay, and Andrea Arnold nor as confrontational as Kathryn Bigelow. Holofcener does share their traits in creating women characters that don’t play into certain molds that Hollywood wants while giving voices to women in their 30s and over as they’re often ignored by the mainstream. Her contributions to cinema cannot be overlooked for what she has given to audiences which makes Nicole Holofcener one of the key figures in American cinema.

© thevoid99 2013

Please Give

Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, Please Give is the story about a couple and their daughter dealing with an aging neighbor as they befriend the woman‘s adult granddaughters. Meanwhile, one of the granddaughters try to deal with her lonely life as she starts dating while her grandmother’s neighbor tries to help out any way she can over her worry with the state of the world. Starring Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Ann Guilbert, Sarah Steele, Amanda Peet, and Rebecca Hall. Please Give is a clever yet intriguing film from Nicole Holofcener.

Kate (Catherine Keener) and Alex (Oliver Platt) are vintage furniture sellers who have a teenage daughter named Abby (Sarah Steele) who is going through her own growing pains. Living next door is an aging, cranky neighbor named Andra (Ann Guilbert) who is about to turn 91 as she is often cared by her kind yet lonely granddaughter Rebecca (Rebecca Hall). Kate often bumps into Rebecca as they would often have conversations as Rebecca is a radiology technician for breast cancer while her older sister Mary (Amanda Peet) is a cosmetologist. When Kate and Alex invite Andra, Rebecca, and Mary for Andra’s birthday dinner, Kate and Alex reluctantly reveal what they will do to Andra’s apartment when she passes away which doesn’t surprise the more cynical Mary.

With Kate worried about her daughter’s desire to purchase expensive jeans, she wants to help out those who really need things as she often gives money to the homeless and try to volunteer to help out other people. Alex meanwhile, becomes interested in Mary as he goes to her spa for a facial where flirtation ensues with the two. While helping out a patient named Mrs. Portman (Lois Smith), Rebecca meets her patient’s grandson Eugene (Thomas Ian Nicholas) as the two go out where she takes Andra and Mrs. Portman on a ride to the Catskills Mountains. Kate learns that some of the furniture she bought and sold is being sold once again by another competitor which only adds to her anxieties about the state of the world. With Abby more worried about her face and trying to fit in, Alex becomes upset over Kate’s issues while Mary starts to not help Rebecca in caring for Andra leading to a very drastic moment for all involved.

The film is about a group of people dealing with themselves as an old, cranky woman is about to likely to die as her neighbors want her apartment so they can expand their own. While the neighbors don’t want to do anything to hurt anyone, it does leave one of her granddaughters relieved about the whole other while the other is saddened by that prospect. For these four adults and a teenager, they’re all trying to deal with their own place in the world as characters like Kate and Rebecca are two women that really mean well in their generosity. Though it would often backfire for Kate who does upset Abby over the idea of giving away money. Rebecca is a bit more cautious as she has a hard time leading a normal life as she is devoted to taking care of her grandmother until she actually meets someone who is actually a nice guy.

While Alex, Abby, and Mary aren’t entirely selfish people despite their desires for wanting certain things. Alex is just trying to run a store while becomes fascinated by the idea of spa facials where he would have this flirtatious relationship with Mary. Mary likes this relationship although she is having her own issues over by often going to this clothing store and not buy anything. Mary may be the most un-likeable character of the entire film but Nicole Holofcener doesn’t portray her to be that overly-selfish as she does try to help Abby out with her facial breakouts. The script does have a lot of witty dialogue and humor as well as some captivating drama that occurs quite often. The only flaw with it is that it’s uneven due to the fact that there’s a lot of characters involved in their own worlds which doesn’t make the story as tight as it could’ve been.

Holofcener’s direction is quite understated and straightforward in the way she shoots conversations and scenes where characters are walking around the streets of New York City. Yet, the film starts off with these shots of women getting their breasts examined as it’s Holofcener making the audience uncomfortable by what she’s showing. It’s part of her strange yet quirky sense of humor as it revels in the theme of aging that Holofcener does touch on throughout the film. One of Holofcener’s gifts as a filmmaker is the way she directs actors where she can get them to relax and emote in certain ways. Even as she is shooting them on a sidewalk or in a room as she captures the energy of these conversations or allow them to react to their moments in a silent manner. Overall, Holofcener creates an engrossing yet humorous film about people and their willingness to try and be good.

Cinematographer Yaron Orbach does a nice job with the film‘s photography from the colorful daytime look exterior and interior settings to the look of Rebecca and Mary‘s home at night. Editor Robert Frazen does an excellent job with the film‘s editing by utilizing straight yet rhythmic cuts to play with the film‘s humor while maintaining a leisured pace for the film. Production designer Mark White, with art director Lauren Fitzsimmons and set decorators Kim Chapman and Kris Moran, does a brilliant job with the set pieces created from the homes of the characters to the furniture that Kate and Alex are selling in their shop.

Costume designer Ane Crabtree does a wonderful job with the costumes from the casual clothes most of the cast wear to the more stylish look of Mary and Abby. Visual effects supervisor Mark Russell does a good job in recreating some of the exterior of the mountains that Rebecca, Andra, Mrs. Portman, and Eugene go to see. Sound editor Lora Hirschberg does a fine job with the sound work from the exterior settings of the city to some of the intimate moments in some of the interior scenes in the film. The film’s folk-jazz score by Marcelo Zarvos is superb for underplaying the drama and humor of the film.

The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is brilliant for the ensemble that is created along with a slew of appearances from well-known actors such as Scott Cohen as Rebecca’s boss, Kevin Corrigan and Elizabeth Berridge as a couple of furniture sellers, Thomas Ian Nicholas as the very kind Eugene, and Lois Smith as Eugene’s lively grandmother Mrs. Portman. Ann Guilbert is great as the cranky Andra who always spout inappropriate lines about food and everything else while dealing with her old age. Sarah Steele is terrific as the 15-year old Abby who is obsessed with wanting expensive jeans while dealing with her own growing pains and her mother’s obsession with helping people out. Amanda Peet is excellent as the cynical Mary who doesn’t really like her grandmother and always say mean things while befriending Alex over their love of facial spa work.

Oliver Platt is wonderful as the calm yet curious Alex who is interested in Mary’s work while trying to deal with Kate’s own obsession with helping people as well as his furniture business. Rebecca Hall is amazing as the kind and helpful Rebecca who tries to deal with her grandmother as well as her own lonely life as she seeks to find love. Finally, there’s Catherine Keener in a fantastic performance as the well-meaning Kate who tries to deal with her business as well was wanting to make the world a better place. It’s a performance where Keener endures humility as well as the fact that she’s a mess because she can’t fix everything around her as it’s one of Keener’s top performances.

Please Give is a stellar and heartwarming film from Nicole Holofcener. Featuring a remarkable ensemble cast led by Catherine Keener, it’s a film that explores people trying to figure themselves out while helping out those they feel are in need of help. While it doesn’t have a much more concise narrative than Holofcener’s previous films. Holofcener makes up for it by creating real characters that audiences can relate to. In the end, Please Give is a charming film from Nicole Holofcener.

Nicole Holofcener Films: Walking and Talking - Lovely & Amazing - Friends with Money - Enough Said - The Auteurs #22: Nicole Holofcener

© thevoid99 2012

Friends with Money

Written and directed by Nicole Holfocener, Friends with Money is the story of a woman who is struggling to maintain her finances by taking a job as a maid while her more financially stable friends as they all deal with personal issues in their life. The film explores the friendship of four women as they all try to help each other but also explore their resentments towards one another Starring Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener, Joan Cusack, Frances McDormand, Scott Caan, Jason Isaacs, Simon McBurney, Greg Germann, and Ty Burrell. Friends with Money is a brash yet very intriguing film from Nicole Holofcener.

After quitting her job as a teacher, Olivia (Jennifer Aniston) works cleaning other people’s houses for a living as her friends each live fantastic lives with husbands and kids. While Franny (Joan Cusack) wants to help out as does Christine (Catherine Keener) and Jane (Frances McDormand), Olivia politely declines as she often spends her time going to mall to take free cream samples and calling a former boyfriend (Timm Sharp) whom she’s still hung up on. Franny is a stay-at-home housewife who has money from a trust fund as she really wants to help Olivia out though her account husband Matt (Greg Germann) isn’t sure on the idea. Franny does help out Olivia with her personal life by setting her up with her young personal trainer Mike (Scott Caan) as the two begin a relationship.

Christine’s marriage to husband David (Jason Isaacs) is starting to fall apart as the two try to write a project together while getting a new upstairs floor built much to the chagrin of their neighbor. Jane starts to act out due to the small things happening to her such as being cut in front of a line or having someone take her parking space. Even as her husband Aaron (Simon McBurney) is trying to help her out as Christine suspects that he’s gay while he befriends another guy named Aaron (Ty Burrell). With Olivia struggling to have money problems as Franny still wants to help out. An upcoming charity dinner doesn’t excite everyone as Jane becomes erratic while Christine becomes overwhelmed by the house renovation. Even as Olivia feels like things aren’t going her way as she doesn’t enjoy her time with Mike.

The film is about four women trying to help each other with their personal lives as one of them is struggling with trying to maintain her finances without needing to borrow money from her friends. Throughout the film, this woman is dealing with the fact that her life isn’t going well as she is taking all sorts of jobs while her personal life has her resenting her friends because they’re married and have children. Yet, they’re life isn’t as well-adjusted as she thought they would do as one of them wants to help out but her husband just wants to spend money for his own reasons. Another is dealing with the renovation of a house as well as bickering with her husband over everything while another friend is having a breakdown due to all of the ills of the world around her.

Nicole Holofcener’s script deals with the lives of these women and their relationships with men as the Olivia character is the one trying to find love. While she is hung up on this man she had an affair with some years ago, she dates this very immature personal trainer who has just seen an old flame as their relationship becomes about sex though it ends up being unpleasant. Olivia is definitely the most interesting character of the film due to her situation as well as not being a charity case while she has this great line about all of these charity dinners that happens which really has a lot of truth.

While men like Matt, Mike, and David don’t really get much to do as opposed to sexually-ambiguous Aaron who sort of acts like a fifth woman. It does allow the rest of Olivia’s friends to explore their own faults as well as struggle with the posh world they live in. Of those friends, Jane is the most interesting as she is a clothing designer who has made a lot of money but is on the verge of a breakdown as she doesn’t wash her hair while starts to vent out at people who do the wrong things. Holofcener’s script is quite witty in exploring these characters and their flaws though there are a few issues with some of the characterization as some aren’t as developed or as interesting as some of the key parts in the film.

Holofcener’s direction is quite engrossing in the way she presents the film as she aims for a much looser hand-held style to the direction where the camera is a bit shaky but not overt. The compositions are quite straightforward as there is a bit of a cinema verite approach to the direction where Holofcener is always having the camera at the center or at the side of these conversations. Holofcener does create some funny moments that involves Jane’s outbursts or Olivia wanting to grab as many free samples of skin cream that she needs by going to different malls. Shot in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, Holofcener allows the location to be a character of sorts while not aiming for a postcard look to the film. The overall work that Holofcener creates is very engaging in the way she studies and observes the lives of these four women and their different lives.

Cinematographer Terry Stacey does an excellent job with the film‘s colorful cinematography that plays to the sunny world of southern California for its daytime exteriors while utilizing more low-key natural lighting for the nighttime interiors including the dinner scenes in the film. Editor Robert Frazen does a superb job with the editing in creating a loose style to its methodical pacing while using rhythmic jump cuts to capture the intensity of the conversations and action that occur in the film. Production designer Amy B. Ancona, with set decorator Maria Nay and art director Victoria Ruskin do a nice job with the set pieces created from the posh homes that Christine, Franny, and Jane live in to the more modest home that Olivia lives in as well as the other homes she cleans at.

Costume designer Michael Wilkinson does a wonderful job with the costumes from the more casual look that the women wear to the more modest look of Olivia and Mike to complement the different worlds the characters live in. Sound editor Cormac Funge does terrific work with the sound from the intimacy of the homes that Olivia cleans in to the busy atmosphere of some of the places the characters frequent at including the restaurants. The film’s score by Craig Richey is pretty good for its low-key folk-rock score filled with guitars and melodic keyboards as the music also includes some contributions by Rickie Lee Jones who also provides a similar score including the film’s opening song.

The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is brilliant for the ensemble that is created for the film. Notable small roles include Timm Sharp as Olivia’s former lover, Alejandra Flores as Christine’s maid, Ileen Getz as Christine’s neighbor, Ty Burrell as the other Aaron that Aaron befriends, and Bob Stephenson as a lonely man whose home Olivia cleans. Scott Caan is alright as the smarmy personal trainer Mike whom Olivia goes out with but barely helps her when she’s working. Jason Isaacs and Greg Germann are very good in their respective roles as Christine’s ambitious yet un-concerned husband David and Franny’s dismissive yet money-obsessed husband Matt. Simon McBurney is brilliant as Jane’s sexually-ambiguous husband Aaron who always try to help everyone out and be supportive while is probably unaware that he might be gay.

Joan Cusack is terrific as Franny who often wants to help out though she doesn’t want to be confrontational as she has a hard time trying to do good. Catherine Keener is excellent as Christine who is trying to write a screenplay while dealing with the renovation of her home and the constant bickering she has with her husband. Frances McDormand is great in a truly scary role as the erratic Jane who starts to act out over the frustrations of her life and everything around her as McDormand brings a lot of great humor to her character. Finally, there’s Jennifer Aniston in a remarkable performance as the lost and confused Olivia. It’s a performance where Aniston doesn’t play pretty while being a woman who is trying to get by while dealing with what she doesn’t have as she is trying to do things herself despite her friends’ desire to help her.

Friends with Money is a superb comedy-drama from Nicole Holfocener. Featuring a stellar ensemble cast that includes Jennifer Aniston, Frances McDormand, Catherine Keener, and Joan Cusack. It’s a film that revels into the lives of women as they deal with the idea of having everything or having very little as well as the struggle to find some sanity in their lives. It’s a film that is very witty as well as being provocative about the way the world works proving that not everything should be the way it is. In the end, Friends with Money is a funny yet sensational film from Nicole Holofcener.

Nicole Holofcener Films: Walking & Talking - Lovely & Amazing - Please Give - Enough Said - The Auteurs #22: Nicole Holofcener

© thevoid99 2012

Lovely & Amazing

Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, Lovely & Amazing is the story of a family of women and a child as they each deal with all sorts of insecurities as they deal age, body image, and other issues. The film is an exploration of the lives of three different women and a pre-teen African-American child as they all try to figure out their place in the world. Starring Brenda Blethyn, Catherine Keener, Emily Mortimer, Raven Goodwin, James LeGros, Clark Gregg, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dermont Mulroney, Aunjanue Ellis, and Michael Nouri. Lovely & Amazing is a poignant yet heartbreaking comedy-drama from Nicole Holofcener.

Jane Marks (Brenda Blethyn) is a middle-aged woman is set to have plastic surgery in hopes to look younger. While her adult daughters Michelle (Catherine Keener) and Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer) aren’t fond of the idea as is their adopted pre-teen African-American sister Annie (Raven Goodwin). They all are hoping for the best as Jane falls for her surgeon Dr. Crane (Michael Nouri) during the procedure. Michelle meanwhile, is dealing with issues with her artistic pursuits as it’s not bringing income to her family as she is at odds with her husband Bill (Clark Gregg). For the aspiring actress Elizabeth, she is still dealing with her physical insecurities as a photo shoot for her was a disaster for her while her relationship with boyfriend Paul (James LeGros).

With Jane wants the overweight and troublesome Annie to find a positive African-American role model in a swimming coach in Lorraine (Aunjanue Ellis). Annie has a hard time dealing with the fact that she’s an African-American while her older sisters try to help her out as she would often play with Michelle’s daughter Maddy (Ashlyn Rose). Unable to get money for her art, Michelle takes a job working at a one-hour photo shop as she befriends its 17-year old manager Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal). Elizabeth’s acting career is starting to take off as she gains an audition with film star Kevin McCabe (Dermont Mulroney) which didn’t go well though McCabe thought she was good as they later went out for dinner.

When Jane’s surgery leaves her in a coma, the sisters all try to deal with what’s happening as Michelle embarks on a fling with Jordan while Annie starts to act out. With the premiere of Elizabeth’s new movie is happening, the sisters attend as they would all face their own problems about themselves and their mother.

The film is about four different women in different age groups and situations as they all try to come to terms with who they all are. With each hoping to make something of themselves, they would also face the certain realities of their own situations as it becomes harder for them to deal with. In reality, the film is a character study of sorts as well as displaying the kind of insecurities that women go through. For some, it’s a physical insecurity. For others, it something much more as Nicole Holofcener delve into these issues without going into a heavy-handed route by letting the audience figure out these characters.

For Jane, she’s a woman who is already a mother to two adult women as she is hoping to look and feel young in the surgery. What happens would force her to endure something unexpected as she also tries to flirt with her surgeon. For the eldest daughter Michelle, she is a woman who feels like her marriage is on the outs due to her unkind husband as she is also a kid of sorts who likes to watch cartoons and eat cereals with her daughter. Elizabeth is a woman with a nice figure but feels very insecure about herself as she would often take in stray dogs while her boyfriend becomes very uninterested. In the young Annie, she is a young African-American child living with a White family as she has a hard time dealing with her own racial identity while she just acts out and is becoming overweight.

The script allows Holofcener to figure these people out as they all want something to identify with while Michelle and Elizabeth each engage into different affairs due to their unhappy love life. Yet, the men they would be with for these affairs are very different individuals who appreciate who they are although they’re clearly not the right kind of guys to be with. Still, Holofcener does make them complex enough to be interesting men while maintaining her focus on the women as they try to figure themselves out.

Holofcener’s direction is truly engaging in the way she presents the film although many of the shots and compositions are pretty straightforward. Despite that lack of style, Holofcener does make up for it by being very up-front on the film’s dramatic moments while knowing when to put humor in a few scenes. One notable scene that is very confrontational involves a fully-nude Elizabeth asking Kevin McCabe what is wrong with her body. McCabe would be reluctantly honest as it is one of the most uncomfortable moments ever presented on film. It’s a moment in the film where nudity is allowed to help tell a story rather than just be a sex scene or an excuse just to have nudity.

Other moments of Holofcener’s direction involves the Annie character as this young girl is definitely lost in her identity as Holofcener presents these subtle moments where she pretends to play dead while swimming in a pool. Holofcener presents Annie as a lost child who is unsure about who she is as she would be quite up-front about everything as she curses and likes to eat a lot of food. There’s a scene where she and Michelle have a moment as Annie asks if she likes her straightened hair. Michelle reveals her answer in a direct yet calm manner as she understands what Annie is going through without really saying more. It’s these little moments of drama and humor that makes the film so much more than just a typical comedy-drama as Holofcener creates a very broad yet heartwarming film.

Cinematographer Harold Bosmajian does an excellent job with the film’s low-key digital photography that is a bit grainy but very entrancing for its simple look. Notably in the nighttime interiors where it doesn’t need lots of light while maintaining a sense of mood for the dramatic moments of the film. Editor Robert Frazer does a nice job with the editing by playing it a bit straight while utilizing a few jump-cuts and rhythmic cuts for some of the intensity of the film’s dramatic moments. Production designer Devorah Herbert and art director Missy Parker do some terrific work in creating the set piece such as the homemade artwork that Michelle makes as well as the look of Jane’s clean, spacious home.

Costume designer Vanessa Vogel does a very good job with the costumes as a lot of it is quite casual for the men and women while it also includes some designer stuff that Elizabeth wears including the sheer dress she wears in the opening scene. Sound editor Kelly Oxford does some fine work in the sound editing from the intimacy of some of the locations that occur to the raucous atmosphere of the pool hall where Lorraine runs the swimming school. The music by Craig Richey is quite remarkable for its keyboard-driven score with folk-driven pieces to play up the drama that occurs in the film. Music supervisor Amy Rosen creates a soundtrack that is very low-key as it includes a lot of indie acts like Pillbox, Josh Rouse, Elwood, and Bleu.

The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is remarkable for the ensemble that is created as it includes small but notable performances from Christine Mourad as Elizabeth’s agent Cindy, Ashlynn Rose as Bill and Michelle’s daughter Maddy, Dreya Webber as Michelle’s friend Donna, James LeGros as Elizabeth’s cynical and disinterested boyfriend Paul, and Clark Gregg as Michelle’s smarmy and unsupportive husband Bill. Other noteworthy supporting roles include Michael Nouri as Jane’s attractive surgeon Dr. Crane, Dermont Mulroney as big-time film star Kevin McCabe, Aunjunae Ellis as Annie’s kind but concerned swimming coach Lorraine, and Jake Gyllenhaal as Michelle’s teenage photo-shop manager Jordan whom she would have a brief affair with.

Raven Goodwin is superb as the young African-American child Annie who is confused by her identity while acting out as she deals with her mother’s surgery as it’s a very raw yet charming performance for the young actress. Brenda Blethyn is excellent as the humorous and excited Jane who is hoping to look and feel young while trying to help her daughters with their own situations. Emily Mortimer is great as the insecure Elizabeth who is trying to get an acting career going while dealing with her own physical flaws as Mortimer delivers one of her most vulnerable moments by going full-on nude in front of a guy as it’s a truly confrontational yet unsettling performance from the British actress. Finally, there’s Catherine Keener in a brilliant performance as Michelle who tries to find success as an artist while dealing with a failing marriage as she also has to help out her other sisters as it’s a witty yet touching performance from Keener.

Lovely & Amazing is a spectacular yet smart film from Nicole Holofcener. Featuring an amazing ensemble cast led by Catherine Keener, Emily Mortimer, Brenda Blethyn, and Raven Goodwin. It’s a film that doesn’t stray into conventions about women and their own issues about their physicality, age, and identity while it’s also one that is quite strong. Even if the characters are flawed but real enough for people to be engaged by. Lovely & Amazing is a rich and poignant drama that is told with a sense of wit and realism better than its creator Nicole Holofcener.

Nicole Holofcener Films: Walking & Talking - Friends with Money - Please Give - Enough Said - The Auteurs #22: Nicole Holofcener

© thevoid99 2012

Walking and Talking

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/5/03 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, Walking and Talking is the story of two female friends whose lives are changed by the engagement of another. With one dealing with a sick cat as well as her lackluster love life, the other deals with the transition of becoming a married woman. The film explores the world of female relationships and the men that surrounds them in this witty yet engrossing film. Starring Catherine Keener, Anne Heche, Todd Field, Kevin Corrigan, Randall Batinkoff, and Liev Schrieber. Walking and Talking is a superbly funny film from Nicole Holofcener.

Since being friends since childhood, Amelia (Catherine Keener) and Laura (Anne Heche) are in their 30s as their lives are set to change. Amelia is dealing with the illness of her cat Big Jeans while Laura is a doctor who is dealing with a disturbed patient (Vincent Pastore) who claims to see the devil. Amelia's ex-boyfriend Andrew (Liev Schrieber) reveals that he's been talking to a woman from California as Amelia befriends a video store clerk named Bill (Kevin Corrigan). After convincing her therapist (Joseph Siravo) that she no longer needs therapy, Amelia's life is rocked when Laura announced she's engaged to her longtime boyfriend Frank (Todd Fields). Amelia is in shock as her date with Bill doesn't go well while she turns to Andrew for help to deal with the news.

Laura meanwhile, ponders about what is ahead for marriage as she finds herself going to play with an actor named Peter (Randall Batinkoff) whom she met earlier at a restaurant he worked at. Depressed over the news of her cat's illness and the news of Laura's engagement, Amelia goes on another date with Bill as the night ends in disaster when Bill hears Laura on the answering machine supposedly talking about him. Amelia wonders what happened as she hangs out with Frank at his apartment while Laura sees Peter in his play. After hanging out with Andrew and his parents for a meal, Amelia learns that the woman Andrew has been talking to was a phone sex client. Things worsen when Amelia confronts Bill about what happened that night as she was shocked to learn about Laura's phone message.

Going to a weekend getaway at a lake house, Amelia joins Frank and Laura to the house where Frank wants to have the wedding. Yet, Laura is bothered by the mole on Frank's shoulder thinking its malignant as Frank leaves where the two women are bothered by some obscene phone calls. With Andrew helping out, they all return to New York City as Amelia becomes depressed over some events as Laura has second thoughts about the upcoming wedding. The two longtime friends start to bicker over their own decisions as each wonder about their own role as women and the men in their lives.

What makes Walking and Talking an enjoyable, light-hearted comedy-drama is that Nicole Holofcener balances the boundaries between comedy and drama throughout the film though at times, there's a few predictable moments. Holofcener deserves total credit for bringing in hilarious scenes as well as powerful, emotional drama as the actors play real people instead of the exaggeration Hollywood films will tend to do for some actors. Holofcener even brings a glowing look to her film with cinematographer Michael Spiller, who captures the nice, summer look of trees and the streets that is so New York City, it couldn't be imitated by another city. Another great noted factor about the film is the music ranging Yo La Tengo, Liz Phair, Joan Osborne, Joe Henry, some obscure acts like Sea and Cake and Catherine, and Billy Bragg, who does most of the music and the film's score that just jangles on through the entire film.

Catherine Keener, alone, is the film's best performance as she plays a desperate woman trying to find her niche in the world of relationships as she ponders her own misery without being overly melodramatic and being funny when the time is right. Anne Heche is excellent as Laura, who plays this confused woman who is about to get married but is wondering if she still exists in the singles life as Heche brings a nice charm to the character.

Todd Field is wonderful as the more laid-back Frank who plays the kind of guy who is cool to his girlfriend's best friend while he delivers a few hilarious lines, notably the "vagina music" line. Liev Schreiber is brilliant as the compassionate, porn-loving Andrew who brings out the film's more hilarious moments while he even displays his dramatic touches in a later scene with Andrew's parents. Kevin Corrigan is funny as the monster-loving Bill, who loves to talk about horror films and videos while he gets extra cool points for a wearing a My Bloody Valentine t-shirt (the band, not the movie). Also worth noting is Vincent Pastore who is hilarious as the devil-seeing patient and watch out for Allison Janney as one of Amelia's neighbors.

Walking and Talking is a fun, heartwarming comedy-drama from Nicole Holofcener with an excellent story, superb soundtrack, and an amazing cast led by Catherine Keener. It's a film that is very engaging in exploring the anxiety of women in their 30s as they deal with changes in their life. It's also a film that strays from convention of usual female-driven films as it allows the women to be very real as well as flawed in their decisions about life. In the end, Walking and Talking is an extraordinary film from Nicole Holofcener.

Nicole Holofcener Films: Lovely & Amazing - Friends with Money - Please Give - Enough Said - The Auteurs #22: Nicole Holofcener

© thevoid99 2012