Anne Heche, Catherine Keener, Kevin Corrigan

The winsome and underappreciated Catherine Keener plays Amelia, an unattached New York City cutie living uncomfortably in the shadow of her best friend Laura (Anne Heche). But Laura has problems of he...( read more  read more... )r own--including professional insecurities and dwindling sexual interest in her nice-guy fiancé. Not by any means a sidesplitting Generation X comedy, Walking and Talking is the sort of film that relies on bittersweet irony to generate sympathy for its characters. Director Nicole Holofcener leans heavily on the intrinsic pathos, alienation, and insecurity of young adulthood, employing the obligatory well-screened answering machines, meaningless telephone relationships, and lonely nights of video rentals to make her point. Without question, Holofcener should have spent more time elaborating the relationship between her characters--we're never sure why they put up with each other, or why any of them became friends in the first place. We're shown the dysfunctional side of these relationships, but never given a reason to understand them as anything other than hopelessly compromised. Nevertheless, the performances (particularly Heche's) are always heartfelt, the writing is bright without resorting to cleverness, and almost every scene strains admirably for meaning and resonance. --Miles Bethany

Flixster Users

70% liked it

1,944 ratings

Critics

85% liked it

20 critics

R, 85 min.

Directed by: Nicole Holofcener

Release Date: July 17, 1996

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DVD Release Date: May 21, 2002

Stats: 91 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (91)


  • May 15, 2008
    female friendship film starring Catherine Keener= Gold , really good stuff and funny too, women will love it but guys i don't see whats stopping you either. Its such a shame the dvd is hard to come by when crap like potc 3 is everywhere, definately one to watch
  • November 19, 2006
    I don't recall being so filled with hatred when watching a movie. This proves the indie movement wasn't all good.
  • September 13, 2009
    ill see about it....
  • November 20, 2008
    Two young teenage girls lay across a bed reading "The Joy of Sex." They giggle and are grossed out, and are unaware of how joyous sex (and all that comes with it) may or may not be in the future. And so begins writer-director Nicole Holofcener's delightful, if semi-aimless, comed...( read more)y about a small group of thirty-somethings in love and life in modern New York, and it's as just plain nice as can be. Catherine Keener (a Holofcener staple, turns out) stars as Amelia, an intelligent and good-looking gal who works in the Classifieds at a newspaper. Her best friend is Laura (Anne Heche), a "terrible therapist" whose boyfriend Frank (Todd Field) proposes to her, which leads them to realize just how ready for marriage they might be. Amelia once had a relationship with Andrew (Liev Schreiber), who spends perhaps more time having phone-sex with some strange woman he met in LA than he does reconnecting with his Alzheimers-afflicted father. Nowadays, Amelia is happy to go on a date to a vomitorium of a horror film with the nice, sweet movie geek (Kevin Corrigan) who asks her out. Laura and Frank have troubles, while Amelia and Andrew spend a great deal of afternoons together, recalling how they were once in love, or something like it. Meanwhile, Laura is distracted by a dorky waiter/actor who hits on her, and a sex-addict patient she'd like to take advantage of, all the while Amelia's cat Big Jeans is dying of cancer. This might sound like more plot than it really is. In her first film, Nicole Holofcener, who would go on to write and direct the wonderful "Lovely & Amazing" (2002) and the slightly less wonderful "Friends with Money" (2006), here shows a sure hand with her actors, a sweet touch with her characters and dialogue, and just enough teasings of a plot to keep you interested. I was surprised at the end, and in some sense relieved, to discover how little had really happened. Relationships are threatened and reconciled, and everyone gets what they may or may not deserve. You'll laugh right along and enjoy these people's company for the quite short 90-minute running time, and maybe that's the point.
  • July 13, 2008
    Awesome indie ensemble cast. Solid independent comedy/drama
  • September 3, 2007
    Great characters with no real story to run with. This was NOT "wildly funny" as the poster states. It did have it's moments - just not enough of them. ho-hum flick.
  • August 24, 2007
    yes, they're walking... and yes, they're talking... they say alot of interesting things, but they're not really walking anywhere... but then aagin, Im a guy, and I couldnt really connect with it
  • August 3, 2007
    you've probably never heard of this movie - you should
  • June 24, 2007
    I'd rather watch Sex and Exploding... >_>"

Comments


  • lisybabe
    June 12, 2006
    Nothing much really happens in this film. It's so far removed from all these actions movies which have such a distinct plot. This movie is more "slice of life" ish.

    It's about 2 best friends, Laura and Amelia. From the opening shot of them as children, we know this is a lifelong friendship. The film follows them going through a fairly tumultuous time in their friendship, as their lives and relationship are somewhat disrupted by Laura's engagement to Frank.

    Like I said, not a lot really happens in this movie. But it's so wonderful. Watching it just gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

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