Movie Review for Lovely & Amazing

Summary: Jane Marks is the matriarch of a confused trio of daughters -- a heady brew of vanity, insecurity and humor -- that seem to have nothing in common. Former homecoming queen Michelle, the eldest daughter, is in a loveless marriage with a spouse who does not appreciate her decidedly obscure artistic endeavors. Younger sister Elizabeth, a self-doubting actress whose career is beginning to take off, compulsively takes home stray dogs, saving them whether or not they need to be saved. Only the youngest sister, Annie, an adopted African American eight-year-old, seems emotionally equipped to stand a chance at rising above the family’s legacy. But on the threshold of what already promises to be a confusing adolescence, Annie has developed a preoccupation with her appearance – natural enough for a pre-teen – but given her adoptive family’s history, quite possibly a hint of what’s to come for the newest member of the Mark’s family. Each of the women seeks redemption in her own haphazard way, but whatever salvation they find is illusory and short-lived. When complications from cosmetic surgery threaten Jane’s well being, the family of comically self-absorbed women must quickly find room for each other in their lives to offer comfort and strength.

                         Reviews of Lovely & Amazing
By Margaret A. McGurk of Cincinnati Enquirer (8/0)
            ...a startling film, beautifully crafted by a filmmaker with a hunger to tell the truth.

By Karina Montgomery of Cinerina (8/0)
            All of us wish we could feel we are lovely & amazing, if only to one person. It's about this wish...

By David Noh of Film Journal International (8/0)
            If only Holofcener’s unique brand of percipient humor could be bottled and distributed wholesale ...

By Blake French of filmcritic.com (8/0)
            ...ranks as one of the year's best movies to date.

By Ross Anthony of Hollywood Report Card (8/0)
            Has a lovely feel, interactions that are real & unafraid to broach life's insecurities -- ie: per...

By Steve Rhodes of Internet Reviews (8/0)
            Like a skillful fisher, the director uses the last act to reel in the audience since its poignanc...

                         Reviews of Lovely & Amazing
By Robert Roten of Laramie Movie Scope (8/0)
            Another one of those estrogen overdose movies like "Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood," exce...

By Frank Swietek of One Guy's Opinion (8/0)
            'Lovely and Amazing,' unhappily, is neither...excessively strained and contrived.

By Jeffrey Wachs of Reel.com (8/0)
            While it may not add up to the sum of its parts, Holofcener's film offers just enough insight to ...

By Laura Clifford of Reeling Reviews (8/0)
            Holofcener has a terrific ability to conjure breathing characters out of the quirks and ticks of ...

By Harry Guerin of RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (8/0)
            After this, you'd like to think that the studios might let Holofcener turn her attention to a few...

By Jim Judy of Screen It! (8/0)
            For those looking for a smartly written character study featuring solid performances, you could d...

                         Reviews of Lovely & Amazing
By Moira MacDonald of Seattle Times (8/0)
            It's a smart-talking, slice-of-life comedy/drama that could just as easily be titled Our Bodies/O...

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of Spirituality and Practice (8/0)
            One of the funniest and most endearing films of the year . . . it is difficult in an appearance-o...

By Urban Cinefile Critics of Urban Cinefile (8/0)
            Everyone’s insecure in Lovely and Amazing, a poignant and wryly amusing film about mothers, daugh...

By Steven Snyder of Zertinet Movies (8/0)
            "Lovely and Amazing is a story about real people. These people are insecure about their lives. Th...

By Stephen Holden of New York Times (3/5) Login Required (Login Required)
            As smart and observant as it is, Lovely and Amazing doesn't really go anywhere.

By Eleanor Ringel Gillespie of Atlanta Journal-Constitution (4/4) No reference
            ...as softhearted as it is ruthless, as amusing as it is poignant.

                         Reviews of Lovely & Amazing
By Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times (3/5) No reference
            It's a rebuke to the shallow Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

By Loren King of Chicago Tribune (3/5) No reference
            ...has the painful charm of life.

By David Noh of E! Online (4/4) No reference
            ...undoubtedly the smartest film about women...to come along in quite a while.

By Marshall Fine of Journal News (Westchester, NY) (3/5) No reference
            A low-key treasure that yields its delights in unexpected ways.

By Kenneth Turan of Los Angeles Times (3/5) No reference
            ...both marvelously observed and completely individual.

By Sue Pierman of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (7/1) No reference
            A tasty little trifle for viewers who enjoy a hefty slice of life topped with fascinating charact...

                         Reviews of Lovely & Amazing
By Jonathan Foreman of New York Post (3/5) No reference
            ...refreshing...

By Jay Boyar of Orlando Sentinel (4/4) No reference
            Because the characters are more like collections of quirks than integrated personalities, you nev...

By Jack Garner of Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (7/1) No reference
            Darkly funny and affecting story.

By Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee (3/5) No reference
            An astute, gemlike little movie.

By Gerry Shamray of Sun Newspapers of Cleveland (7/1) No reference
            Any enjoyment will be hinge from a personal threshold of watching sad but endearing characters do...

By Connie Ogle of Miami Herald (7/1) Not Reachable
            A film of this sort demands superb, seemingly effortless acting, and Holofcener gets it at every ...

                         Reviews of Lovely & Amazing
By James Berardinelli of ReelViews (4/4) Not Reachable
            ...it is always perceptive, and that quality, more than any other, is what makes it worth a recom...

By Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone of TheMovieChicks.com (7/1) Not Reachable
            Lots of nice, funny, poignant moments, but it just doesn't add up to a lovely or amazing movie.

Movie Distributors
Lionsgate

Production Companies
Blow Up Pictures
Roadside Attractions
Good Machine

Movie Studios
Good Machine