" living out loud , " is the type of motion picture we don't often see : it is a film about mature , intelligent adults , instead of the usual american film , in which children basically dress up in grown-up clothing and parade around acting like immature seven-year-olds . judith ( holly hunter ) , a fortysomething living in new york city , has been having a difficult time with life lately . she is extremely depressed about her recent divorce to her husband ( martin donovan ) , who had been cheating on her . she cannot sleep , haunted by terrible memories , often imagines off-the-wall things to try and make the world seem like a better place , and the only place she can really go to feel happy is to hear one of her favorite singers , liz bailey ( queen latifah ) , perform at a local club . judith's life does start to brighten a little when , one night when she gets home to her apartment late , strikes up a conversation with the elevator operator , pat ( danny devito ) , a lonely man in his fifties whom has lost his daughter recently . both of them create a sort of emotional connection with each other , seeking comfort with the other person , but while pat starts to form a deep love for her , judith only wants to remain friends . " living out loud , " which was written by richard lagravenese ( " the bridges of madison county " ) , who is also making his directing debut here , is a wonderful film from beginning to end , one that is honest , genuinely funny , and poignant . the three central characters , that of judith , pat , and liz , are all written to be free-thinking , complex human beings , and are all likable , but flawed , people who are constantly interesting , as is the film itself . one highly original element of the film is that judith occasionally imagines things occuring in her mind in the way she wishes they would happen . sometimes it results in comedy , and sometimes it turns out to be subtle and truly touching . one sequence that stands out is when judith is at a restaurant by herself , reading a novel . an older woman comes over to her , mentions that that is a great book she is reading , and then goes over to join her own friends . as the woman sits down , she looks over to see judith by herself , and motions for her to come join them . instantly , we realize this was simply in judith's mind , as we see the same woman just sit down at the table and begin talking to her friends . holly hunter and danny devito both give the performances of their careers here . hunter , of course , was brilliant in 1993's " the piano , " for which she won an academy award , but in this film she is even better , i think . she finds the right note for each scene and holds it . and devito has never had such a humanistic role before , which i was surprised about . usually he is used as the butt of a joke , or as a caricature , but in this film , has a living-and-breathing , sympathetic person to play . topping it all off is latifah , also a singer , who is quickly turning into a respectable actress herself , and has a juicy , natural supporting role as , in some ways , judith's role model . another joy of the film is that it does not somehow form a contrived , " happy " ending , but , in staying with its realistic tone , manages to be upbeat , but truthful . the last shot is an especially powerful image . nothing is said , but just the image of someone walking down a sidewalk says it all . the relationship that results between judith and pat is true-to-life and sincere . as we watch these two people talk , and get to know each other , all that we wish for them both is to be happy , even if that does not include for them to become romantically involved . and as , " living out loud , " which is one of the best films of the year , proves , sometimes a friendship is the strongest bond anyone could possibly ask for .
