Every Nicole Holofcener Movie, Ranked

Known for her honest and authentic woman-led features, Nicole Holofcener is a master of the mumblecore genre. Her films are essentially coming-of-age features for adults, as they depict middle-class neuroses and the sensation of feeling lost in adulthood, often due to not being as successful as they’d like to be, in love or at work. Holofcener has confessed her films are often about herself in one way or another, and, as such, there is a true honesty to the flaws of her characters as we meet them at a short moment in time. She possesses a truly brilliant ability to write very genuine dialogue and capture intimate and sometimes mundane moments in relationships and friendships, both good and bad, that leave you feeling like you know these people personally by the end of the film.

So far, Holofcener has written and directed seven features, five of which have starred longtime collaborator Catherine Keener in a leading role, and in the latest two, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has taken the reins. Holofcener’s films capture a moment in time in her life and contain something she personally was struggling with; her first film, Walking and Talking, is about a woman in her mid-30s navigating loneliness, friendship, and her love life, while her latest feature, You Hurt My Feelings, is about a 50-something writer paranoid that her husband doesn’t like her latest book. Holofcener’s impact on major players like Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach is clear, but her style is most definitely still distinct, and it is truly wonderful to witness a collection of films that very honestly and authentically reflect on her friendships, relationships, and neuroses throughout her adult life.

7 ‘Friends With Money’ (2006)

Directed by Nicole Holofcener

In Friends With Money, Jennifer Aniston plays Olivia, a single, permanently broke woman who cleans houses after quitting her job teaching at a private school “when the kids started giving her quarters.” In contrast, Olivia’s three closest friends are all very wealthy: Franny (Joan Cusack), a stay-at-home mom with a large trust fund; Christine (Catherine Keener), a television writer who works with her husband David (Jason Isaacs); and Jane (Frances McDormand), a famous dress designer. Olivia believes that money would be the solution to all of her problems, yet her friends would disagree. Though Christine and David are successful screenwriters, he has grown indifferent to their relationship, and she doesn’t know how to cope. Despite Jane’s fame in the fashion world, she experiences depression. Franny and her husband Matt (Greg Germann) seem the happiest, though they do still argue about how to spend her huge trust fund. Olivia’s wealthy friends each try to help her in a well-meaning yet not truly understanding way. It is clear that the central message is that money can’t buy happiness.

Friends With Money is not quite as warm and poignant, perhaps, as Holofcener’s previous features. That may be due to there being so many strong characters, all with their own individual plots alongside the main thread, that there perhaps wasn’t time to delve too deep into any of them and get to grips with their storylines in any truly meaningful way. Saying that, the performances were, unsurprisingly, stellar. I just wanted to be in their lives a little bit longer than the runtime allowed, so I could properly get to know them.

6 ‘The Land of Steady Habits’ (2018)

Directed by Nicole Holofcener

Adapted from the Ted Thompson novel of the same name, The Land of Steady Habits follows Anders Hill (Ben Mendelsohn), who, feeling trapped in the wealthy enclave of Westport, Connecticut, has a sort of midlife crisis, retires early from his job in finance, and leaves his wife, Helene (Edie Falco), in the hope that it will resurrect his lust for life. His adult son Preston (Thomas Mann) is a recovering drug addict who graduated from Northwestern University and now lives with Helene and works at a job she got for him. At the annual Christmas party Anders’ wife co-hosts with their neighbor Sophie Ashford (Elizabeth Garvel), Anders befriends Sophie’s teen son, Charlie (Charlie Tahan), who is addicted to drugs. Anders sets off down a path of reckless and regrettable behavior, leading him to question whether he is a good father and, ultimately, who he truly is as a person.

The Land of Steady Habits portrays how impactful and damaging ego-driven parents’ reckless behavior can be, particularly on their children. Though Holofcener’s sharp wit is very present and there are laughs to be had, there is an air of tragedy in this film, and it has a somewhat coming-of-age element for the protagonist as he makes the discovery that we’re all replaceable. The little beats in the film that give insight into the emotional turmoil of each character are much more interesting than the plot itself. As Roger Ebert put in his review, “It’s the atmosphere of life that Holofcener gets so right that matters way more than the specifics of what happens.”

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5 ‘Please Give’ (2010)

Directed by Nicole Holofcener

Please Give follows couple Kate (Keener) and Alex (Oliver Platt) who live in New York City with their teenage daughter Abby (Sarah Steele) and own a furniture store specializing in used modern furniture, which they buy at estate sales. Kate and Alex have bought the apartment adjacent to theirs with the intention of remodeling it just as soon as the tenant, the elderly and cranky tenant, Andra (Ann Guilbert), dies. Kate has a crisis of guilt, as she feels troubled by the profits she makes from buying furniture cheaply from sellers who do not know the value of the items, and notices the contrast between the homeless people in her neighborhood and her own very comfortable life. To try and ease her guilt, Kate tries volunteering for jobs and donating to homeless individuals. She also attempts to befriend Andra and her granddaughters, but her actions lead to unexpected consequences.

The protagonist, Kate, is such a well-realized character, and Keener inhabits her wonderfully; she truly brings Holofcener’s visions to life with her naturalistic performance, capturing a character plagued with self-aware neuroses trying to do her best in a difficult world. In parallel, Guilbert plays Andra expertly, creating a ghastly character seemingly unaware of her intense selfishness. Holofcener’s dialogue is so bitingly smart—a mixture of satire about the worries of the middle class as well as compassion and understanding of the human condition.

4 ‘Lovely & Amazing’ (2001)

Directed by Nicole Holofcener

Lovely & Amazing follows four women: a mother, Jane Marks (Brenda Blethyn), her two adult daughters, Michelle (Keener) and Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer), and her pre-teen adopted daughter Annie (Raven Goodwin). The film delves into the insecurities they have and how they affect their lives. Jane longs to look younger and thinner and undergoes liposuction with near-tragic results. Michelle’s whimsical artistic talents are not lucrative for her family, and in an attempt to earn a stable income, she takes a job as a one-hour photo developer, where she falls for the attention of her teenage boss, Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal). Her sister Elizabeth is an aspiring actress who questions her appeal when she’s rejected from a role based on her appearance. Annie, who is African American, strives to fit in better with her white family by having her hair straightened by Lorraine, her Big Sister volunteer, whom Jane hopes will put her daughter in touch with her heritage.

Holofcener’s second feature delves into the nature of mother-daughter relationships, depicting the impact Jane’s vanity has on each of her three daughters with such nuance. Lovely & Amazing is not about the plot; it is about audiences spending time with each of the four women, lingering on their relationships, insecurities, and mistakes; it creates a space for women to be imperfect, flawed, and real.

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3 ‘Walking and Talking’ (1996)

Directed by Nicole Holofcener

In Walking and Talking Keener plays Amelia, a woman who thinks she’s over her anxieties and insecurities until her best friend, Laura (Anne Heche) announces she’s engaged to her boyfriend Frank (Todd Field). Feeling completely alone, Amelia takes a pessimistic look at her own life: her beloved cat comes down with cancer, she spends an immense amount of time with her ex-boyfriend, Andrew (Liev Schreiber), and out of desperation dates video store clerk Bill (Kevin Corrigan) whom she calls the “Ugly Guy” to Laura. Despite Amelia’s belief, Laura is spiraling slightly and worries that her relationship with Frank is too comfortable.

Holofcener’s debut feature explores the dynamics of close friendship between women, and the difficulties faced when the relationship feels one-sided. Amelia and Laura are far from perfect, but their mistakes just contribute to the shaping of their dimensional characters. The romance between Amelia and Andrew is very authentic in their exes, to friends to perhaps something more, you can’t help but root for them, despite how flawed they can both be. The film is bittersweet, and there is sadness in many moments. However, there is an equal amount of charm, hilarity and sweetness, particularly when Frank’s relentless love for Laura culminates in an adorable moment where he gushes over how small and sweet her socks are.

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2 ‘You Hurt My Feelings’ (2023)

Directed by Nicole Holofcener

Holofcener’s latest film You Hurt My Feelings follows Beth (Louis-Dreyfus), a successful memoirist and creative writing teacher who writes her first novel. When she accidentally overhears her husband, Don (Tobias Menzies) gives his honest reaction to her latest book, her perspective on her relationship turns upside down. Therapist Don has his own struggles, as he is self-conscious about aging and also has trouble engaging with his patients. Simultaneously, their son, Elliot (Owen Teague), feels pressure from his mother to be extraordinary due to her constant praise of his ability.

You Hurt My Feelings delves into the idea of self-worth versus external worth, exploring the idea that we all crave external validation, especially from people we love and trust. Ultimately, Beth’s problem is a trivial issue with white lies, she is in a very loving relationship and lives very comfortably as a writer, but it is a petty insecurity that many can relate to. Holofcener is brilliant at shining a light on uncomfortable truths that, though quite insignificant in the grand scheme of themes, do have the potential to eat away at a person. Beth’s frustration acts as a catalyst to delve deeper into the root of her own behavior, and, like many of Holofcener’s other films, there is a coming-of-age element to it as she learns about herself, and her relationships and grows from it.

1 ‘Enough Said’ (2013)

Directed by Nicole Holofcener

Enough Said centers on masseuse divorced mother, Eva (Louis-Dreyfus) who is worried about loneliness as her daughter is about to move away and start college. When Eva attends a party with her friend Sarah (Toni Collette), she separately meets Marianne (Keener), who she takes on as a new client, and Albert (James Gandolfini), who she starts dating. As her relationships with both of them develop in parallel, she makes the shocking discovery that Marianne and Albert used to be married to one another. Rather than reveal to either one of them that she knows their ex, she continues as if nothing happened, and soon Marianne’s venting about her gripes towards her ex-husband begin affecting Eva’s relationship with Albert.

Enough Said is at its core an excellent romantic comedy, reigniting the passion for middle-aged people who have gone through divorce and are disillusioned by the idea of love. The chemistry between Gandolfini and Louis-Dreyfus is romantic and genuine throughout, spending time in the tender, small moments. They make each other laugh, share sweet moments introducing each other to their respective lives and the people in them, and share the fear as both their daughters are preparing to leave for college. Holofcener’s films usually parallel an experience or feeling in her own life. In Enough Said it is the moment when Eva says goodbye to her daughter at the airport as she’s leaving for college. She expressed “I was literally crying at the monitor watching her drop her child off, and I could watch that scene now and start to tear up.”

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