Already hailed as the female Woody Allen for her smart, angst-filled shorts, Nicole Holofcener makes a welcome feature debut with this deftly-observed comedy about two women friends living in New York City. On the verge of thirty-something, Amelia (Catherine Keener) and Laura (Anne Heche) have known each other since high school. Now Laura’s nuptials loom, while Amelia can’t even find herself a decent date, unless you count the bad night with the ugly guy from the video store. Plus her beloved old cat, Big Jeans, seems destined for the great litter tray in the sky. Just what are girls to do? As any girl knows, they talk for ages as the friendship frays then pulls them together again. Forget Thelma and Louise, Rhoda and Mary, or Celine and Julie; with Keener and Heche brilliantly cast, Amelia and Laura are the kind of pals that one wants to stick around as they kvetch just about anything that matters. It’s the frank, fresh, funny film about female friendship that we’ve all been waiting for and we’ll all be talking about. Go see it or feel very left out.