Review of Tiny Furniture (2010) by Caleb M — 15 Feb 2011

Tiny Furniture deals with a lot of insufferably cynical and self-righteous characters, yet it doesn't feel cynical itself and contains some of the most surprising and memorable laughs of 2010.

What do you do when you've finished college and everyone expects you to start your life, on your own? Who are you? Who are your friends? Do you know what you want out of life? Do you know what you don't want? Aura (Dunham) has to ask herself these questions, while her family, childhood friends, potential lovers and college roommate vie for her attention and time. Ultimately, Aura has to choose between venturing out on her own, leaving her photographer mother's comfortable Tribeca loft, or stay in place while the clock slowly ticks away, buried somewhere within a multitude of identical closets. The result is a sharp and funny little film filled with characters that aren't afraid to be unlikable and a script that finds the right mesh in between realistically drab and profoundly funny.