Private Life

Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti star as a couple trying to have a kid by any means (adoption, artificial insemination, etc) necessary. They decide to pursue an egg donor, and ultimately ask their step niece Sadie (Kayli Carter) to thr chagrin of her parents (the always welcome Molly Shannon and John Caroll Lynch).

The film feels raw and real, and Giamatti and Hahn have a great lived in tenderness with eachother. Hahn is the star here, but my favorite scene in the movie involves Giamatti discussing how he's almost relieved when the egg donation fails and they seemingly are out of options. He's just exhausted, and ready for the ride to end.

Still, the movie ends on a hopeful note; the couple gets a call about a potential adoption (we see flashbacks on a failed experience in this regard) and flies out to meet the mom for a meal. The credits roll and we never get the answer about what happens. But they're together, holding hands, and looking to the future. That's something.

Neither actor got awards traction, but they should have. Same goes writer/director Tamara Jenkins (The Savages), a true gift to film fans who does not work nearly enough.