Playing average, everyday people doesn’t often bring accolades, but if ever two actresses deserved to be recognized for just that it’s Kathryn Hahn in “Private Life” and Regina Hall in “Support the Girls.” Messy and raw, Hahn plays a woman dealing with infertility issues who will try anything — be it adoption, surrogacy or IVF. (She and her husband are labeled “fertility junkies” in writer-director Tamara Jenkins’ sharp script.) Hahn vividly captures the out-of-control feelings of someone put in a position to reassess her marriage, her career, her desires, her feminism and herself. And “Private Life” brings heart and humor to a story of finding the strength to continue. Meanwhile, Hall’s Lisa, the manager of a Hooters-like restaurant, is having one of those days where everything seems to go wrong all at once. Navigating the demands of an insensitive owner and the needs of a coterie of irrepressible waitresses, Lisa is just trying to keep everything working. With graceful sensitivity, Hall finds both the comic notes and emotional core in the struggle to hold on to a sense of self as the world swirls around you. — Mark Olsen
Source: latimes.com – Los Angeles Times