The Great New Wonderful

I saw this film on video last night since the Cardinals game got rained out. This is one of those films featuring multiple storylines of adults and their relationships, ala a Robert Altman film or Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia. In this case, this film involves adult New Yorkers and takes place in the year immediately following 9/11. The tragedy is not specifically mentioned in the film, but the shadow of it looms over these characters. One man, who knew co-workers who died during the attack, is shown conversing with a shrink. A woman tries to find fulfillment as a cake designer and faces competition from a rival, while her husband is too wrapped up in himself to pay much attention to her. A successful and otherwise cheerful yuppie couple struggles to deal with a son who is a troublemaker and bully in his school. Two immigrants talk about life as they do security work in support of a visiting dignitary. The film is well-written, and these characters react to the inner angst of their lives in different ways, some through escpaism, some through repressed anger, some through trying to make it through the day. The storylines only intersect in one brief scene in an elevator, where a temporary power glitch causes a brief moment of fear, before they breathe a sigh of relief and go through the day. While the lack of intersection between the characters doesn't make this as interesting as an Altman film, the characters' responses to their struggles mirror various aspects of the human condition. This is an intelligent adult film, and it's hard to believe that the director, Danny Leiner, is the same guy who wrote "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" and "Dude Where's My Car." Hopefully, this guy won't choose future projects based on the availability of Ashton Kutcher.