Craig Lucas’ ”Birds of America” is, like ”Smart People”, a film that explores relationships and family in all their fragility. Another study of siblings, the film is exquisitely understated, yet deeply and resonantly human. In what is his best performance to date, Matthew Perry plays a university lecturer who struggles with a repressive home and professional life, as well as making amends for the trouble his free-spirited brother and sister cause about town. After the death of his parents, Perry’s Morrie looked after his brother and sister, both troubled, while coping with his marriage to Betty [another luminous performance from Lauren Graham] who desperately wants a child while her husband waits for tenure. Ginnifer Goodwin plays the sexually rebellious sister who is far more than she seems while the always dazzling Ben Foster shines as the tormented brother. This is a smart, poetic and deeply human film that meticulously explores what it means to communicate and be a part of a family. A remarkable, emotive work, the film’s sublime performances, razor sharp script and finely tuned direction males ”Birds of America” a rich masterwork that is both gently humorous but ultimately a moving and vivid film.

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