Two Ninas (1999)

Neil Turitz's amateurish debut, Two Ninas, traffics in the same grainy rawness as Edward Burns did in his own first film, The Brothers McMullen. Fortunately, it also has some of that film's heart. And in a strange phenomenon, it radically matures as the narrative moves forward. Since films are typically shot out of sequence, one shouldn't notice greater competence in later portions than earlier ones, but Two Ninas finds its footing after a shaky beginning. During the film's stultifying first act, Turitz shoots his two male leads (narrator Bray Poor and Ron Livingston) from a distance of a good twenty feet at all times. It's a perfect metaphor for his own emotional distance from them: they are stock types given clumsy banter and wooden questions to ask each other about life and love. As the camera starts to move in closer, the actors' natural charms and talents start to produce real characters who seem like actual buddies -- as if the writing, performances and technical details all shed their nervous jitters at the same moment. A spirit of warmth carries the rest of the film, making a surprisingly fond romantic hero out of a guy (Livingston) who's lying to and cheating on two women with the same name. Only one of the Ninas deserves credit for buoying the warmth: Cara Buono, who outclasses future star Amanda Peet at every step of the way. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide