Critic's Grade: A-

Before I begin, I pose you, my readers, this question: how comfortable are you with yourself? Do you look at yourself in the mirror each morning wishing you were someone else? Do you pass by plate-glass windows and grimace at the thought of your reflection? Do you wish you were thinner? Prettier? Happier? Successful? Do you ever have one of those days where you just sit down and say to yourself, "This is not my life?"

Well, get with the program people, because this is your life, and for a little extra boost of self-esteem, why not check out a group of women who are just like you, be you a man or a woman? "Lovely and Amazing" is quite simply what its title suggests, filled with those realistically human moments that look as if they've been photocopied right out of real life. The film has a striking sense of humanity about it, displayed through its vivid characters and their colorful lives in such a way that when the movie finally draws to a close, it almost seems unfair.

The plot is pretty simple in terms of external appearances: three daughters come to terms with their complaints about themselves in the wake of their mother's cosmetic surgery. The mother, Jane Marks (Brenda Blethyn), merely wants to lose a few pounds so she can feel better about herself. She feels good about the operation, and even confuses her doctor's caring nature with flirtatious behavior. Then comes the day of the surgery, which brings about another series of complications including fluid movement and infection. Why go to all the trouble if it makes you feel lousy, you might ask. I think she pretty much sums it up for us in one of the film's best lines: "$10,000 dollars, and I'm lying here on the f---ing floor."

Her eldest daughter, Michelle (Catherine Keener), is a struggling artist who grapples with her angst over dealers who see no potential in her various crafts. She has a failing marriage in which her husband cheats on her with her best friend, as well as a daughter whom she genuinely loves, but doesn't pay much attention to. She cannot seem to understand why her life is the way it is: she has become so enshrouded by her own internal and external negativity that it has completely ravaged her self-esteem.

And then things change: she takes a job at a one-hour photo processing shop, where she meets Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal), the 17-year-old stepson of the owner who becomes instantly attracted to her, and soon she to him as well. While I won't give away the details of their relationship, I will say that it sets in motion the process of change, through which Michelle begins to understand herself and those around her more.

The younger daughter, Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer), suffers from extreme self-doubt as a result of her acting profession, or lack thereof. She's the typical aspiring screen star who can't get a decent role, much less a half-decent agent, but she lays the blame for these aspects of her life entirely on herself. She's spent so much time dogging herself for what she views as an ugly appearance, that when she hears a compliment, she doesn't know how to respond to it. Surprisingly enough, it takes one night with a renowned male star (Dermot Mulroney) to rejuvinate her self-esteem and make her feel slightly better about herself.

These well-drawn characters are brought to life by wonderful performances from Keener, Blethyn, and Mortimer, who get down to the root of their characters' insecurities and play them out in just the right fashions. The dialogue is at once humorous and moving in many places, and the writing and direction from Nicole Holofcener are top-notch throughout. There are some flaws at work, however: the plot feels a bit disjointed in places, while the character of Jane's adopted daughter, an 8-year-old black girl named Annie (Raven Goodwin), is never fully fleshed out the way it feels she should be. We know there's something there she wants to say, but the film doesn't quite give her character the right words, save for one instance, in which she asks, "What's reality?"

The film poses her inquisition in a childlike manner, the mere product of a mind thirsty for knowledge. But what many will not realize is that from that point on in the film, the characters will begin their own separate journeys in search of their own realities. "Lovely and Amazing" may not be a perfect film by most standards, but it handles the significance of its plot-related human issues with great attention to emotional detail and honesty. In the end, the question of whether or not the words "lovely" and "amazing" apply to each of these women, or even to us as human beings, is no longer a question: it's a fact. It all depends on how you look at yourself, when you wake up in the morning...

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