Richard LaGravenese's movie career began with his original screenplay, "The Fisher King," but lately, he's been known as the writer who can carve an honorable drama out of confused or dense books, such as "Bridges of Madison County," "The Horse Whisperer" and "Beloved."

Returning to writing his own material for his directorial debut, "Living Out Loud," LaGravenese has made an appealing, often marvelous story about loneliness in the big city, and the tentative gestures his characters make toward some kind of contact.

Holly Hunter is Oscar-deserving in the central role, giving a tactile, forceful performance as Judith, the divorced wife of a wealthy doctor who now scrapes by despite her Fifth Avenue address. Danny DeVito is fine as the building's elevator man, who becomes close to her, as is Queen Latifah, regal as a singer at a jazz club who helps Judith rediscover the potential for passion.

"It's way different from rapping," Latifah says. "It's going from speaking to singing, controlling the tone. You are using a few different muscles. I grew up with jazz all in my house, my father played it constantly. He had a club so all kinds of music was always in my house. I didn't know 'Lush Life,' but when I heard that, I knew it was in the movie. I couldn't just do any song; I'm not necessarily capable of pulling it off in the way it should come off."