ON SCREEN: ‘You Hurt My Feelings’ examines after

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies are a husband and wife facing a crisis in "You Hurt My Feelings."

Lurking in a corner of Julia Louis-Dreyfus's acting career is a small part in Woody Allen's masterful "Hannah and Her Sisters," which was released in 1986, the year after she left "Saturday Night Live," having performed sketches in 57 episodes of that television show.

Also in 1986, she popped up in "Troll" and "Soul Man." However, it was Allen's comedy that let us know Louis-Dreyfus had a promising future as an actress in narrative films. The camera liked what it photographed. Her movie career had to take a back seat to television because she soon became a popular mainstay playing Elaine Benes on "Seinfeld," which ran for nine seasons. Interestingly, during the run of that situation comedy, Louis-Dreyfus showed up in another notable Allen tale, the fiercely caustic "Deconstructing Harry."

Once "Seinfeld" ended its run, the actress had myriad choices for film and TV, and she essentially played the field, appearing in different things for both the big and small screen.

It was her performance in a major role in the wonderful "Enough Said," which co-stars James Gandolfini and was released in 2013, that announced to audiences Louis-Dreyfus could maintain a hold on motion picture audiences if she wanted to go that route. The writer-director of the film is Nicole Holofcener. However, the prodigiously talented actress continued to mix it up between movies and television, including appearing on "Veep."

Now, a decade after "Enough Said," Louis-Dreyfus is back in a movie delivering a performance that reaches high and achieves the brass ring. It's titled "You Hurt My Feelings" and the writer-director is again Holofcener. It's her seventh feature behind the camera. She also wrote, but did not direct, the superb multiple Academy Award-nominated "Can You Ever Forgive Me?," which stars Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant. Holofcener's movies all have comic underpinnings with a careful dramatic edge to them. Their running time is in the sweet spot, averaging around 90 minutes. They are compact, and Holofcener is keenly aware of the vitality of her characters, and how an unexpected event that happens to them can push the track of their calm and steady lives out of their comfort zone.

In "You Hurt My Feelings," which is playing in theaters, Louis-Dreyfus is outstanding as Beth, a woman who has written a memoir and is now trying her hand at fiction. The road is slow, but steady. She wants the novel to flow naturally, and she is following the path she has set for herself in order to publish something worthwhile. She also teaches writing.

Her husband Don (believably played by Tobias Menzies) is a psychotherapist, although his level of success is not as notable as his wife's. However, financially, they are fine. Beth and Don are matched in their respect for each other, but although the marriage is enjoyable, they seem to have settled into something less exciting than when they first met. The marriage is indeed working, but perhaps it's working best in the sense of its routines. It's not quite clicking on all the good old cylinders. Enjoying comfort food can be just as satisfying as comfort sex. They have a teenage son (nicely acted by Owen Teague), who is trying his hand at writing plays. Their home in New York City is pleasant.

Holofcener is a master at capturing the nuance of the day-to-day lives of her characters. Within minutes, you feel as if you know the people that populate her films. She understands emotions and how a generous understanding between couples can keep things running smoothly, even if something is simmering beneath the surface. Only husbands and wives know the true dynamics and parameters of their relationship. Holofcener is an expert at revealing these traits.

The story turns on one of those unexpected moments when perhaps something said would have been best left unspoken, regardless to whom it's told. "You Hurt My Feelings" is about the little white lies that so many people tell in order to keep a person from being hurt by a more honest comment or an opinion or even a misspoken thought.

Going on almost two years, Don has been reading all of the drafts of the novel over which Beth has been laboring. Every time he reads new material, he tells her how good the story is, and how fine the writing and her use of words are.

One day Beth overhears Don telling her sister's husband that he wishes he had never read a word of the book's manuscript. He doesn't like it. In fact, he hates it. He's been lying to Beth in order to spare her feelings. He knows that if he tells her what he really thinks, she won't be able to handle the truth. And he's absolutely correct. After hearing what should have been unheard, she's a complete mess and is convinced she can never trust what he says again. What else has been a "little white lie"?

The events that occur after the revelation make for a very satisfying movie. The entire cast is up to the task of keep the characters believable, including other family members, friends and Don's patients. Holofcener wants her film to be about the necessary path to heal a marriage after any kind of trust has been shattered, not a blueprint for revenge and recrimination.

What Holofcener does so well in all of her movies is to make you believe you are part of the inner circle to which her characters belong. Taking into account the emotional ugliness found in too many of today's films, Holofcener truly is a breath of creative fresh air.

Michael Calleri reviews films for the Niagara Gazette and the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal.

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