The second Noah Baumbach film to reach South African audiences in the space of two months, Mistress America is one of the smartest, and most bitter-sweet, comedies of the year. In the 10 years since his breakout filmThe Squid and the Whale - about a dysfunctional middle-class family in New York - Baumbach has crafted a space for himself as the millennial successor to Woody Allen.In his second collaboration with actress Greta Gerwig - following 2012's Frances Ha - Baumbach shows his interest in, and ability to explore, female relationships. Here, it is the relationship between college freshmen Tracy (Lola Kirke) and her potential stepsister, the 30-year-old Brooke (Gerwig). Brooke's sense of adventure and determination to carve her own path are immediately attractive to reticent, wannabe writer Tracy. Inspired, Tracy turns Brooke into the subject of a short story from which the film takes its title.Written by Baumbach and Gerwig, the film provides a strong match for each of their talents and while much of the action is often a bit theatrical with long scenes of people talking in rooms, the wit and precision of the dialogue delivers on laughs and holds the attention.Sure, it's a collection of the doubts and struggles of people with first-world problems, but it's presented with a gentle empathy that makes it hard not to be drawn in.At 84 minutes the film is, in spite of its staginess, paced with the quick back-and-forth of a1940s screwball comedy that sweeps us along towards its slightly sentimental but acceptable conclusion. Like many of the character-defining, often short but intense relationships of life after high school, it burns quickly and brightly before flickering out.Also openingSouthpaw:"A boxing movie with a theme of redemption is redeemed by the performances of its two main actors, Jake Gyllenhaal and Forest Whitaker."Soren Andersen, Seattle TimesRicki and the Flash:The film roars to life too intermittently. but, sadly, too much of "Ricki and the Flash" is just the same old song. Preston Jones, Fort Worth Star-TelegramHitman Agent 47:A by-the-numbers schlock action sequel that writes its own epitaph when a character mutters the dusty insult, "You're dead, too. You just don't know it yet." Joe Neumaier, New York Daily NewsThe Transporter Refuelled:"Jason Statham has been replaced by the younger, blander Ed Skrein, who shares his predecessor's Cockney accent but looks more male model than bruiser." Jake Wilson, Sydney Morning Herald..