Tracy (Lola Kirke) has just started her freshman year of college. She aspires to be a writer, though the short story she submitted to an elitist campus writer's group is almost immediately rejected. Tracy's mother is about to get married, which would give Tracy a new older sister: Brooke (Greta Gerwig). But Brooke is "old" (read: 30), and it is only when Tracy's only college friend (and consequently, crush), Tony (Michael Shear) -- another writing rejectee -- gets a girlfriend, that she decides to actually meet her soon-to-be-sister.
Instantly, the two become best friends, and Tracy inadvertently starts to shadow Brooke; in her, she finds the inspiration for a better story to submit, which she writes after the first night they hang out. Brooke informs Tracy that she is going to start a restaurant with her boyfriend, but disaster leaves Brooke without backers or her boyfriend, and she, Tracy, Tony, and Tony's girlfriend, Nicolette (Jasmine Cephas Jones) take a trip to Brooke's ex-fiance's house to ask for money.
The plot careens around sharp corners with quick wit and chaotic finesse. Each character is a brilliant mess -- Tracy leads a vicarious life, attaching herself to those she is inspired by in order to write her stories, and Brooke strives to captivate people's attention -- both girls feed off of their selfish notions, creating the perfect symbiotic relationship. In fact, most of the people in MISTRESS AMERICA are selfish -- a characteristic that Noah Baumbach habitually comes back to in his films.
Gerwig and Kirke dazzle in this performance, effortlessly playing off of each other's energy. The over-the-top characters coupled with the sheer absurdity of the situations make this film a delightful comedy, one you should be sure to catch. Now playing at the Midtown Cinema!
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