In the span of 12 months, she appeared as Trish, the woman who made a nonvirgin out of Steve Carell's 40-year-old; played writer Harper Lee, who provided moral ballast to lifelong friend Truman Capote as he undertook "In Cold Blood"; and was the girlfriend Daniel Day-Lewis' character persuades to move in with him and his teen daughter in "The Ballad of Jack and Rose."
Now in a move that might be considered "dancing with the one that brung you," Catherine Keener stars — along with Jennifer Aniston, Frances McDormand and Joan Cusack — in Nicole Holofcener's gamely observed "Friends With Money."
Scorsese and De Niro. Tarantino and Thurman. Spike and Denzel. Holofcener and Keener. Actors and the filmmakers gifted at drawing remarkable performances from them. The muse and the director.
"Friends With Money" is the writer-director's third movie in a decade. Keener has been central to the prickly grace of all three.
In "Walking and Talking," she's Amelia, who unravels some as best friend Laura (Anne Heche) nears her wedding. In the gem "Lovely & Amazing," Keener touched and infuriated as Michelle, one of three very different daughters.
Keener tried to explain their history and its lessons on the phone from L.A.
"I'm her biggest fan, obviously," Keener said of Holofcener. "But now that we have these three movies, there's this whole feeling of such respect for her."
She amended that. "I always respected her. But but now I feel, she was up to something the whole time.
"It's a cliche, but we have a shorthand with each other now. We're less sensitive with our feelings. I defy her to insult me."
Holofcener credits Keener with helping her shed some tentative habits. During their first film together, Holofcener recalled Keener just stopping and saying, " 'What? Just say it. What do you want me to do? Where do you want me to stand? How do you want me to say it?'
"I really learned from that. Actors want to hear it. They're confused. They don't want to make jerks out of themselves."
"She's so loving," Keener said. "And you can see it in her movies. She's not saying she's any different or above her characters. She's saying, 'Look at us. I know we're all self-absorbed, trying to get it right, loving people.' "
Indeed, what Holofcener does so well in her intimate,
very human tales is turn a forgiving but unflinching gaze on the foibles, even selfish myopia, of her characters. In "Lovely & Amazing" (2001), Michelle rattles on inappropriately about her mother's narcissism to her much younger sister Annie, who is adopted and also African-American.
Keener's characters — especially those crafted by Holofcener — often capture a sense of armored vulnerability. Their smiles invite and defend — same with their easy but sharp laughs. Often it feels like you're watching esteem swim hard toward the surface of a surprisingly strong individual.
For her icy, complicated turn as Maxine in "Being John Malkovich," she was nominated for a best-supporting-actress Oscar. She was nominated again this year for her perfectly calibrated portrayal of "To Kill a Mockingbird" author Lee in "Capote."
At the outset of the "Friends With Money," Keener's Christine and her husband (also her screenwriting partner) are building an addition. Soon they'll have a view of the ocean from their bedroom. They'll also block that same view for many of their neighbors.
McDormand, Cusack and Aniston complete the quartet of friends. The former "Friend" with the most money plays the pal with the least. Olivia works as a housekeeper.
"I love it that Nicole puts it forth that the poorest person of the group is the one with the least problem talking about money," said Keener.