Mamie (Kudrow) is enjoying her romance with a Latin lover (Cannavale), although she's haunted by a secret involving her stepbrother Charley (Coogan), which a young filmmaker (Bradford) is threatening to reveal. Meanwhile, Charley suspects a secret involving his best friend (Dern) and his boyfriend (Sutcliffe), and his investigations are unsettling both relationships. Then there's Otis (Ritter), who's keeping a secret from his father (Arnold), and perhaps himself, by getting into a relationship with a new band-mate (Gyllenhaal).

Even with overlapping characters, the three plot strands are completely separate. It's in the themes that they merge dramatically, working together to examine the complexities of speaking or hiding the truth in any relationship. Roos adopts a cheeky storytelling style with title cards that explain to us what we might not see on screen--attitudes, story elements, ironies. And he structures it as one great big set-up, increasingly twisting characters and turning storylines inside out until it explodes in at least a half-hour of endings (Lord of the Rings was nothing compared to this!), many of which are indeed happy.

Performances are bright and engaging, funny and warm, revealing and sharp. The standout is Coogan, whose blustery dithering isn't particularly likeable, but is so perfectly timed and loaded with wit that you can't help but feel for him. Kudrow is also very good as a woman caught between running away from her past and wanting to embrace it, all while her present life spirals out of control. Both characters are grippingly real, and also hilariously neurotic. And the rest of the cast all have moments of high comedy and dark drama.

The overall film is perhaps a little over-wordy, as the characters never stop speaking. Roos' dialog is sparky and deliberately clever, which makes everyone feel rather devious and cruel. But it also allows the characters to be strikingly authentic--shallow, prejudiced, heartless. And in the end, we can see ourselves in most of them.

themes, language, sexuality, drugs

15.Feb.06