Flannel Pajamas

Strong performances and sharp dialogue distinguish Jeff Lipsky's melancholy second feature, which charts the two-year course of a "perfect" relationship whose flaws are evident from the outset. New Yorkers Stuart Sawyer (Justin Kirk) and Nicole Reilly (Julianne Nicholson) meet on a blind date and hit it off immediately, despite their differences. Stuart, a publicist who whips up group-sales pitches for Broadway shows, is a glib charmer, self-reliant, debt-free and more than a little controlling. Nicole, who's struggling to repay her student loans and lives in a tiny apartment with a bathtub in the kitchen and a toilet in the hall, is fiercely dependent on her sprawli...