Mistress America (2015)

A quirky comedy about youth and directionlessness by Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale). 19 year old Columbia freshman Tracy Fishko (Lola Kirke) befriends 30 year old Manhattan gadfly Brooke Cardinas (Greta Gerwig) after their parents get engaged. Tracy is charmed by Brooke, and some hero worship results, yet one that is infused with a skepticism that later gives birth to a massive plot point. This is probably my favorite movie about Millennials, and one that does not spare in its criticism of the generation. Yet it's also an empathetic film, and with its dry-ish sense of humor, largely New York City setting, and being built around the Thanksgiving holiday, the movie it reminds me the most of is Pieces of April (2003), to which this flick can be considered a thematic cousin (even down to quirky apartment neighbors who can be imposed on at Thanksgiving). There is a protracted set of sequences in the later half of the film, set at the Connecticut home of Brooke's wealthy frienemie Mimi-Claire (Heather Lind), in which the film becomes essentially an 1930's screwball comedy with a contemporary setting. Also the parts about college freshman's mixing of a proto world wariness with naiveté I think really hit the mark. Plus this whole thing is just quite funny. ***