Hello I Must Be Going

Actor-turned-director Todd Louiso's third film—nominated for the Grand Jury prize at Sundance—plays a bit like The Graduate for a new era, just as funny and every bit as poignant. Melanie Lynskey plays Amy Minsky, moving back to Cheever Country—upper-class Connecticut—after a divorce. Just as Dustin Hoffman's Benjamin Braddock didn't know what to do with his life, former photography student Amy is also at a loss. When her parents, Ruth and Stan (Blythe Danner and John Rubinstein), hold a dinner party, Amy meets 19-year-old Jeremy (Christopher Abbott), son of a therapist who is a potential client for Stan. If Stan can win over Jeremy's father, he plans to retire and go on a long-awaited cruise with his restless and hyper-judgmental wife. Jeremy, a former child star, has become a theater actor, but internally he's just as lost as Amy. In a moment of privacy, Jeremy steals a kiss with Amy, which isn't unwelcome. Not suspecting a thing, Jeremy's parents encourage Amy to show him around Westport, which leads to a surreptitious affair (Jeremy's mother thinks he's gay), while Amy worries about their 16-year age difference. Benefiting from a perceptive, humorously profane script by Louiso's wife, Sarah Koskoff, this is highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include interviews with director Todd Louiso and writer Sarah Koskoff (12 min.), an interview of star Melanie Lynskey by journalist David Poland (9 min.), and a trailer. Bottom line: a small but solid extras package for a winning indie film.] (K. Fennessy)