Walking and Talking (1996)

Too much of everything

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Even in her first film back in 1996, Nicole Holocenfer has always been the best at conveying so much feeling, with so little.'Walking and Talking' is an impressive Nicole Holocenfer starter and possibly her best as it gets everything just right in that Nicole Holofcener way. It doesn't over due with the bonding motives drenched in the appropriate music that Nicole Holocenfer can't see the cheese in and has induced in her more recent films immensely. This first effort also spawns Nicole's signature comedy of finding the hilarity in smug, annoying and odd strangers(who we all loathe), and in the funny but horrible shallowness of her characters in which has made Nicole known for making comedic movies since then. The writing here is more raw and youthful with Nicole's feelings as a girl and a woman, maybe because of the times but this makes for more original, interesting, and entertaining dialogue and performances.'Walking and Talking' unlike Nicole's later films, also doesn't hit you over the head with the acts of one dimensional characters as each character properly goes through a vary of feelings and moods as they each go through various different situations of life, more so like real people. With this, (unfortuantely unlike her other films) she doesn't make the men in the movie side notes and props. They get a say too and convey almost as much emotion as the female characters. Nicole Holofcener's point in her movies maybe to make women the forefront of her movies and to make men the props, but I personally find it insulting and typical to do this, so it was perfect to see her first effort was true to everyone.Nicole's direction style, especially with this entire, tells us shes not afraid to make things wacky to convey a character's thoughts and emotions even in a story of real-life, and with her camera direction as well, she always makes things feel interesting to watch as characters appear on the screen and as scenes coming along with a simple pan, although things going on in the movie are average life situations. And she never pushes a scene into a more sexually or exciting realm for interest of the viewer, as she keeps scenes in the reality of what it is depicting, which is wonderful because its real. She proves to be a big fan of the fade in and fade out into and out of sequences as its used here and in her later films, but it makes more sense in 'Walking and Talking'and brings certain meaning to certain scenes as appose to 'Friends with Money' but the fade out was interesting in that movie none-the-less. This direction style with the soft, awkward acoustic music to the scenes can be also seen as influential to the indie movie scene of 2000s with it's structure, to movies like 'Juno'.This is a great 90's time capsule and even unrated as a definitive 90's movie with it's great 90's soundtrack and band references, it's geek-tom fan fair, and laid-back lifestyles of the characters so significant to generation x.This first effort years ago, shows that Nicole Holofcener gets like no other the awkwardness of relating to ageing family members and ageing in general. The feeling of being lonely, and feeling that time is passing by and being wasted having your own ironic stupid superficial ideals hold you back from being with someone who wants to fill the void and who thinks your the bell-of-the-ball, and that you don't know someone can make you happy until you give them a shot, because you can't wait forever. This is also one of the most accurate films showing the jealously shared between to friends, of one having someone in companionship, and the other having no one in freedom. This is an important,intelligent and accurate film for females but at it's core its also a life study for men and women equally.May I also add, that no wonder Nicole Holofcener has used Catherine Keener all these years.... Shes a great actress. And This is proof that Kevin Corrigan has always been amazing.

I saw this movie years ago when it first came out on video, when I was in my mid-twenties (I immediately bought the VHS copy to own). I just watched it again at 35, and love it just as much now as I did then (I am ordering the DVD on Amazon). One of the best movies about relationships period, whether it be in set in the 90's, this decade or beyond. It is never cliché, never dated, and features a dream cast with chemistry to boot. It is funny, moving, and absolutely believable. The performances by Heche, Keener and Schreiber are top-notch, and it was good to see Randall Batinkoff in a small role as a struggling actor/waiter. A short and sweet gem of a movie, a definite must-see.

While an observation of New York neuroses hardly breaks new ground, the characters as drawn by writer/director Nicole Holofcener are interesting enough to keep us engrossed in this charming, sometimes moving comedy.A New York drama critic faulted Catherine Keener in a stage performance for not acting, but for being just herself. Keener is perhaps not the most versatile performer, but she's always compelling on screen and even just "being herself" is more than enough.Holofcener has a way with actors coaxing credible and funny performances from all. It's a very talky affair with not enough meat on it to make a lasting impression. But her talent is crystal clear. She's way above most other independent directors with an assured feel for dialog and formidable directing skills.

Can you imagine Kevin Corrigan's agent calling him for this part?"Kev, I got you this part of a video store clerk. They want a real ugly guy. I told them you don't fit this at all, why, you're a regular Brad Pitt, but they told me they have an excellent makeup man to make you SEEM ugly." Yeah, right. I don't know if this story is true, but Kevin does a magnificent job, like Joe Everyshlub looking for someone to love and hold. In the Actors Studio, the director Lee Strassberg used to admonish the actors during a scene, "STOP ACTING", and in this delightful movie its almost immpossible to detect any acting at all, it seems so natural, like a movie camera was left runnig in the characters apartments. Catherine Keener, I believe, isn't a trained actress at all. She just stumbled into it. Like I stumble through life. She's wonderful. I want her to be my mommy, wife, sex toy immediately. For anyone even remotely in love with a pet, her concern over her cat is priceless, and it's not sickeningly cloying at all. Along with Anne Heche's, and Lev Schreiber's wonderful participation this unheralded, un megabillion earning film is a delight from start to finish, and THANK YOU NICOLE HOLOFEENER, the brains behind it all.