• The debut film from Woody Allen acolyte Nicole Holofcener
  • The Miramax logo, Billy Bragg on the film score, Liz Phair on the soundtrack— yes- this is a 1990’s indie movie
  • gabbing in a video rental place, a coffee shop, this is the year after fellow Woody acolyte Noah Baumbach’s Kicking and Screaming (the names are enough to make you think about together). Seinfeld is on. Anne Heche is a analyst and Keener’s character goes to one—certainly a Woodyism
  • First archiveable film for star Catherine Keener—this is three years before Being John Malkovich– she’s excellent here
  • Star 69 and diaphragm jokes, and a great “Vagina music” line from Todd Fields’ character.
  • Keep an eye out for Allison Janney’s first archiveable film
  • These are multi-dimensional characters and relationships- real people with real flaws and hang-ups
  • Editor here Alisa Lepselter would go on to do just about every Woody movie from 1997 on
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 1996— not overly ambitious or great cinema. It does, however, feature strong writing and acting and like all good auteur cinema, is part of a larger, greater collection of Holofcener body of work. This is the first chapter