FRANCES HA ****

"Frances Ha" is Noah Baumbach's, and presumably Greta Gerwig's, since she co-wrote the script with real-life partner Baumbach, homage to the French New Wave and the cinema of Woody Allen just as Gerwig's Frances is an "Annie Hall" for the 21st century, even if she is sans her Alvy. She may not be the kind of girl you may want to spend too much time with in reality but on screen she is a monochrome delight, a kooky heroine with a pedigree that goes all the way back to Jean Arthur and Carole Lombard.

Of course, Frances Ha isn't her whole name but less than half of it, (the title is explained in the final frame), though if a simple Ha were her surname it would suit Gerwig perfectly. Her dizzy character is never off the screen and while she can be a pain in the ass at times she finally wins you over and is one screen character you could happily spend a lot more time with. That's all down to Gerwig, recently described as 'the Meryl Streep of mumblecore', superb here and growing better with every role. It's also a movie that confirms Baumbach's status as one of the most likeable and innovative young directors currently working in America and as a team I suspect he and Gerwig could be the Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon of contemporary New York. This is a lovely movie that sent me out of the cinema with the soppiest of grins on my face.