Lovely and Amazing by Nicole Holofcener

Had no idea what to expect when heading out to this film because I only scanned the reviews - don't you hate it when reviews give the whole plot away? I'm careful about that. I did notice that it said this was an intelligent film, which inspired me to organize babysitters etc. for my rare cinema getaway.

As it turns out, it was entirely worth it. At first it isn't clear why we are following the chaotic lives of two sisters, their mom, their adopted sister since nothing very special seems to be happening. But gradually a very quiet, strong theme emerges. These women, with all their problems and anxieties, all have an inner core of strength from being good mothers and loving daughters. The title comes from the mother's comment to her insecure daughter. Hmm, nice to be told you are lovely and amazing.

I also really enjoyed the characters. My favourite is Michelle, a would-be artist who tries to sell her homemade crafts to snooty shopgirls. She responds to that humiliation with a punk rock "fuck you!". In fact, she goes through life with an attitude problem that I can definitely relate to. Hey, but she's a good mom and had her baby naturally, as she tells some startled strangers in great detail at a party she's crashing. I later read a review that described her as narcissistic, which just sets my eyeballs rolling. Ah, not everyone gets it, hey?

I can't help feeling that feminism is actually an experiment and we are starting to get the results in these days, and they are definitely not all good. This film offers a critique of much that is wrong with our lives, but also points ever so gently at what we are doing right.

www.lovelyandamazing.com

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