Lovely and Amazing

Director: Nicole Holofcener Nicole Holofcener

Overview

Nicole Holofcener's witty personal drama Lovely & Amazing comes to DVD in a standard-issue release from Vidmark. The film is justly presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. It also comes with an audio commentary from writer/director Holofcener, Spanish subtitles, and English closed captions. Interviews with Catherine Keener, Holofcener, and other cast and crew members reveal production details. The only other bonus features are storyboards and the original theatrical trailer in anamorphic widescreen. Though light on the extras, this disc offers a solid presentation of a underrated film that only received a limited theatrical release.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/26/2002
UPC:	0031398815228
Original Release:	2001
Rating:	R
Source:	LIONSGATE - 600000-AEC LGE
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:31:00
Sales rank:	55,216

Special Features

Closed Caption; 16x9 widescreen; 5.1 Dolby Digital; Trailer; Cast & crew interviews; English & Spanish subtitles

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Catherine Keener	Michelle Marks
Brenda Blethyn	Jane Marks
Emily Mortimer	Elizabeth Marks
Raven Goodwin	Annie Marks
Aunjanue Ellis	Lorraine
Clark Gregg	Bill
Jake Gyllenhaal	Jordan
James LeGros	Paul
Dermot Mulroney	Kevin
Michael Nouri	Dr. Crane
Debbie Waldman	Romy Rosemont
Ashlynn Rose	Maddy
Dreya Weber	Donna
Ivy Strohaimer	Jessie
Spencer Garrett	Willy
Christine Mourad	Cindy
Tray Ruptash	Photographer
Ileen Getz	Saleswoman
Kristen Dalton	Saleswoman
Brooke Allison	Pool Administrator
Jennifer Zehnder	Teased Girl
Mariah O'Brien	Kevin's TV Costar
Jeanne McCarthy	Casting Director
Evan Miranda	Director
Branden Williams	Teenage Boy
Nate Richert	Other Teenage Boy
Cory Joffe	Customer
Dawn Saucier	Bertender
Stacy Jorgensen	Lorraine's Pool Friend
Tennison Hightower	Baldasaro Salesgirl
Lee Garrington	Jordan's Mom
John Srednicki	Premiere Guest
Jeremy Kramer	Premiere Photographer
Madeline Moskowitz	Premiere Guest
Eric Wizenreid	Parking Attendant
Mark Beltzman	Premiere Guest
Greer Goodman	ER Doctor
Jerome Butler	Policeman
Scott Adsit	Young Man at Phone
Ryan Wolfe	McDonald's Clerk
Alan Naggar	McDonald's Customer
Elayn Taylor	Jane's Nurse
Craig Richey	Composer

Technical Credits

Nicole Holofcener

Nicole Holofcener	Director,Screenwriter
Anthony Bregman	Producer
Eric d'Arbeloff	Producer
Mike Escott	Executive Producer
Ted Hope	Producer
Michael Kafka	Executive Producer
Jason Kliot	Executive Producer
Jeanne McCarthy	Casting
Charles Rusbasan	Executive Producer
Joana Vicente	Executive Producer
Judith Zarin	Executive Producer

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Posing [4:47]
2. Flabby Arms [3:27]
3. Confidants [3:02]
4. Promises [3:44]
5. Lip Service [3:41]
6. Bathtime [2:50]
7. Surgery [4:10]
8. Floating [3:34]
9. Broken Chair [3:32]
10. Comfort [2:49]
11. Artist [3:09]
12. Agent [3:07]
13. Waking Up [3:54]
14. A Little Help [2:33]
15. Developments [3:27]
16. Flirtation [4:21]
17. Afterglow [5:17]
18. Little Sister [4:01]
19. Just Friends [5:58]
20. Stray [2:35]
21. Missing [5:02]
22. Understanding [4:12]
23. Come Together [4:21]
24. End Credits [3:26]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Play Movie
   Scene Index
   Special Features
      Trailer
      Interviews
         Getting It Going
         Playing the Part
         Making It Work
         Enjoying Each Other
   Subtitles
      English
      Spanish
   Lions Gate Films

Editorial Reviews

It's like mother, like daughter when it comes to low self-esteem in Lovely and Amazing, a beautifully self-assured ensemble comedy-drama from director Nicole Holofcener. A slice-of-life character study set in Los Angeles, Lovely and Amazing follows a few weeks in the lives of a single, middle-aged woman (Brenda Blethyn), her two grown daughters (Emily Mortimer and Catherine Keener), and her adopted pre-teen daughter (Raven Goodwin). The four grapple with insecurities about their looks, talents, and relationships, finding tentative solutions as varied as liposuction, marital infidelity, binges at McDonald's, and the adoption of stray dogs. While these plot developments provide sparks of tension, Lovely and Amazing deftly avoids melodrama. Instead, it works in pastel shades, revealing through the small but telling moments of everyday life the deeper fears and dissatisfactions that lurk beneath. In the end, Lovely and Amazing provides no big answers, just a few small reminders that a little dysfunction is par for the relationship course, and a little neurosis may not be such a crime after all. It's this quiet undertone of optimism and self-acceptance that makes Lovely and Amazing a thoroughly charming and gently reassuring family portrait.

Barnes & Noble - Gregory Baird

Fans of Nicole Holofcener's wry urban comedy Walking and Talking will be ready for the emotional honesty and observational wit of her follow-up, Lovely & Amazing, but they may not be prepared for the film's nearly relentless downbeat tone. Not that Walking and Talking didn't have its painful and awkward moments, but it was feel-good escapism by comparison. As in the earlier film, Holofcener has assembled a gifted ensemble of actors, led by Catherine Keener. Adding their considerable talents are Brenda Blethyn, Jake Gyllenhaal, and James LeGros. Holofcener has also cast a refreshingly naturalistic child actor, Raven Goodwin, as the adopted young daughter, the troubled Annie. As exemplified by her character, Holofcener is exploring more wide-ranging themes here than the enjoyable navel-gazing of her debut. Delving boldly and uncompromisingly into issues of race and body image, Holofcener manages to find the mordant humor in a lot of unpleasant situations. Michelle isn't nearly as self-aware or likeable as the character Keener played in Walking and Talking. She's an edgy, sarcastic, self-involved oddball, and manages to undergo a little growth over the course of the film. Highlights of Lovely & Amazing include a memorably creepy, sad, and funny scene in which the self-critical Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer) stands naked before Kevin McCabe (Dermot Mulroney), a successful actor whom she barely knows, and demands that he give her a completely honest critique of her body. There's the moment when Annie expresses her wish to "tear off" her skin, in order to be more like her adoptive mother. There's an acute honesty to these and other, similar scenes which many will find off-putting. The dysfunctional Marks family does grow a little closer as the film progresses, and the film's honesty, humor, and engaging performances make the uncomfortable subject matter easier to bear.

All Movie Guide - Josh Ralske