Walking and Talking

Writer/director Nicole Holofcener makes an impressive debut with this New York-based tale of fantasy, angst and desire, which had her somewhat cynically dismissed as a young Woody Allen. Sharply scripted and smartly cast, this comedy of discontent is inhabited by credible characters who have something approximating real conversations. As the longtime friends whose lives begin to unravel when marriage rears its head, Catherine Keener and Anne Heche are both fresh and funny. However, they do have nearly all the best lines, as the chaps are less well defined although Kevin Corrigan's geeky video clerk is hilarious.