"Lovely And Amazing" Is Released

Lovely & Amazing is a 2001 American dramedy film written and directed by Nicole Holofcener.

The story focuses on Jane Marks, her adult daughters Michelle and Elizabeth, and her pre-teen adopted African American daughter Annie, each of whom allows her personal insecurities to affect her life. Jane, longing to look younger and thinner, opts for liposuction, with near tragic results. When Michelle's artistic talents fail to produce any income for her family, much to the dismay of her husband Bill, she takes a job as a one-hour photo developer and finds herself falling for the attention of her teenaged co-worker Jordan. Aspiring actress Elizabeth, who bestows upon stray dogs the affection she finds difficult to offer her boyfriend Paul, questions her appeal when she's rejected for a role based on her looks, and she seeks reassurance from film heartthrob Kevin McCabe. Overweight Annie tries to fit in better with her white adopted family by having her hair straightened by black Big Sister volunteer Lorraine, who Jane hopes will put the young girl in touch with her heritage.

This smart, acidic comedy by Nicole Holofcener, the director of "Walking and Talking," could be described as a West Coast answer to "Sex and the City," minus that series' high-gloss glamour and erotic joie de vivre. Catherine Keener and Emily Mortimer are sisters, both attractive and in their 30's, who have major self-esteem problems and poor taste in men. Brenda Blethyn is their vain mother who develops complications after surgery for liposuction. The movie zeroes in on contemporary narcissism with a needling accuracy that illustrates exactly the way some people allow their insecurities to poison their intimate relationships. But once it has limned its characters (Ms. Keener's is by far the most vivid), it doesn't go anywhere in particular. — Stephen Holden, The New York Times