She loves him and her - or maybe not
The New York of Maria Maggenti's Puccini for Beginners is located in the same general vicinity as Woody Allen's - the streets aren't oppressively crowded, the apartments aren't oppressively small, you can actually hear your companion in that cute corner bistro, and everyone seems well-read, armed with a clever quip. (It's also, in many ways, the New York of Sex and the City - girlfriends sharing lunch and gossip and the intimate details of their lives and liaisons.)
The New York of Maria Maggenti's Puccini for Beginners is located in the same general vicinity as Woody Allen's - the streets aren't oppressively crowded, the apartments aren't oppressively small, you can actually hear your companion in that cute corner bistro, and everyone seems well-read, armed with a clever quip. (It's also, in many ways, the New York of Sex and the City - girlfriends sharing lunch and gossip and the intimate details of their lives and liaisons.)
And every now and then a complete stranger - someone in line, or on an adjacent park bench - chimes in with a comment aimed directly at the protagonist and the particular mess of his/her life.
The his/her in Puccini is Allegra (Elizabeth Reaser), a writer and a lesbian, who, in this smart, screwball romance, finds herself first seducing a guy (Justin Kirk) and then, unbeknownst to her, the guy's freshly minted ex (Gretchen Mol). It's hard enough juggling two affairs - especially when one goes wholly against your sexual politics and proclivity. But when you discover that the respective parties in question were, until recently, serious boyfriend and girlfriend, well, that opens up a chasm of guilt, self-reflection and angst.
It also makes for an engagingly funny, postfeminist/gender-blendered romp.
Maggenti, whose feature debut was 1995's The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls in Love, works with a sure hand, and she's found a great lead in Reaser, whose inquisitive, ironic air can quickly, and comically, turn to flustered mush. (Reaser starred as the mail-order bride in Sweet Land, which was not only set in a different century, but seemingly in a different universe altogether.) Allegra is unapologetically sexual, but also a commitment-phobe - when someone gets too close, too caring, she pushes him or her away.
And suddenly she's pushing away Philip (Kirk) and Grace (Mol) - at the same time that she's happily, randily, inviting each of them, separately, to bed.
There's been a rash of these lesbian/straight/bi comedies lately: Imagine Me & You last year, the forthcoming Gray Matters. But Puccini for Beginners, which takes its title from its heroine's passion for opera, isn't just another trendy toe-dip in sexual experimentation. It may not be the real world of New York, or even of most relationships, but it's worth a visit.
Puccini for Beginners *** (out of four stars)
Written and directed by Maria Maggenti. With Elizabeth Reaser, Gretchen Mol and Justin Kirk. Distributed by Strand Releasing.
Running time: 1 hour, 22 mins.
Parent's guide: No MPAA rating (sex, profanity, adult themes)
Playing at: Ritz at the Bourse and Ritz Sixteen/NJEndText