Second Best is a fearless, deeply funny, utterly authentic and uncommonly intelligent film. Untainted by commercialism, it never panders or shies away from the truth as Mr. Weber sees it. Graceful direction gives Weber's dialog and the cast's big chops a wide berth, to great effect. Breaking ranks from an industry obsessed with stories about young people that are marketed to even younger ones, Second Best seeks an adult, or at least a thinking, audience. It gives us mature leads and tougher story lines, and admits to the possibility that outside of the 310 area code, not every dream must necessarily come true. Its characters even dare to be unsympathetic at times, like actual human beings. People who admire the best films of Woody Allen, Richard Curtis, Whit Stillman, Richard Linklater and Bill Forsythe will find Eric Weber a worthy member of that pantheon.