Mistress America

This film is co-written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. I enjoyed Baumbach's most recent film, "While We're Young," and I liked this one too.  It is consistently funny and amusing, and has a bunch of off-beat, quirky characters. Tracy (Lola Kirke) is a Freshman at Barnard College.  She hopes one day to be a successful writer, but is having a rough time adjusting both to the college and to NYC.  She hasn't made any friends, and she lacks confidence in herself and especially in her writing.  Her divorced mother is getting married on Thanksgiving weekend, and she suggests that Tracy contact Brooke (Greta Gerwig), her fiance's daughter, since Brooke lives in NYC, is single, and they are soon to become step-sisters. Tracy calls Brooke up, and they have a great time together.  Brooke is pretty, charismatic, full of life, and has all kinds of interesting plans, such as opening a restaurant with a radically new concept. Brooke takes Tracy under her wing, and they start hanging out together. After a while, however, Tracy becomes aware of Brooke's downside. She doesn't seem to follow through with anything, and, despite her charm and intelligence, nothing she has ever done has worked out. Once Tracy has this realization, her relationship with Brooke undergoes a dramatic shift. There are many other interesting characters, including Brooke's ex-boyfriend, her former best friend (now married to her ex-boyfriend), among others. I was especially impressed with the very pretty Lola Kirke (Gone Girl), and I predict she will become a big star.  She is the daughter of Simon Kirke, who was the drummer in the bands "Free" ("All Right Now") and "Bad Company" ("Can't Get Enough of Your Love"). The movie will work fine as a rental, but it is good enough to make a trip to the BS now. P.S.: I love classic rock and can't  resist making a comment or two referencing it when appropriate.