Davy, a twenty-eight year old white male author is on a road trip with his brother to promote his collection of short stories, when one night, in a motel, he gets a random phone call for sex and embarks on a series of phone call encounters with a voice called Nicole. Inexperienced, pronouncing quite often the word "embarassing", he seems unable to find his way with embodied, to put it that way, women. The phone calls persist, one way always, then cease after Davy gets furious about the unreal premise of such a "relationship." Things, days drag, until weeks later Nicole calls back, and they finally arrange a revelatory meeting.With a cinematic vocabulary proper for indie rock videos, and with a deceptively minimal approach, Alvarez may lure us into believing his film mode fits, even converts the story into a Raymond Carver one. There may be the random, fleeting and nostalgic empathy his stories exemplify, but here this roots into fully fledged individualization in the final confrontation.Aided with a sensitive cast and armed with Brian Geraghty's most tender and haunted and Eugene Byrd's rustling, miraculous performance, the film from indie isolation and generic alienation transforms masculine identity's vulnerability and sense of precarious confrontation into poignant human recognition. The final scene, impossibly delicate and difficult to handle, preserving a sense of secrecy that signifies shared affect, is an instant classic. A very moving, delightful film.(The opening credits are also pleasurable: tactile, from the snap-shot rhythm accompanying the soundtrack to the traveling of the camera revealing fragments of pulp fiction covers, as if tenderly mocking the human erotic interest, they are the most meaningful opening credits I have seen since Croneberg's "Spider" Rorschach opening.)

This is a nice indie film, doing away from the filmfare nowadays that are so familiar & predictable. The idea is original, the execution is not bad, the ending is witty, and overall a good film. Especially if one is into indie flicks.This film is a bout a guy who receives a phone call from a lady, in which the conversation grew from something innocent and ended with phone sex. And since the lady is calling from a private number, the guy is forced to wait for the call, in which he have expected to receive.Surprisingly, the girl called back. And one phone conversation after another, the 'relationship' grew into something much more.The guy travel with her brother to meet the lady, to put a face on the mysterious caller identity.I like the concept. And the fact that this film makes one watch until the end to know how this type of relationship progresses and whether the is a future for this kind of relationship.A nice 7 stars for this film.

EASIER WITH PRACTICE is a well-written, low budget Indpendent film which is ostensibly about 'Phone Sex', but really explores the themes of Alienation and Loneliness. Brian Geraghty, who starred in THE HURT LOCKER, plays a scruffy young author on a book tour to promote a collection of short stories. He and his 'tour manager' brother are on the road in a beat up station wagon, and trek from one tiny, low-rent book store to another. Mysteriously, one night at a cheesy budget motel, he gets a random call from a girl who wants to engage in phone sex. After numerous such encounters over the course of many weeks, he begins to feel a much stronger connection to this enigmatic and enticing individual. Although he has numerous opportunities to meet women face-to-face, they don't seem to compare to the strong allure of the voice on the other end of the line. Although the film hinges on a Trick Ending, it is well crafted, and cleverly resists tying up every loose end. The film is shot in and around the picturesque city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has taken several honors at various film festivals. This one is well worth a look

It's hard to classify 'Easier with Practice'. The film fits rather perfectly into the overall 'indie' category but beyond that, it's more an amalgam of genres. 'Practice' is a bit of a buddy picture as the two main characters are brothers who go on the road for over half of the film's screen time. But it's also a mystery, with a welcome 'twist' ending.Davy Mitchell (Brian Geraghty) has gone on the road to publicize his unpublished collection of short stories at various bookstores and college campuses around the country. Accompanying him is his brother, Sean, who's chief goal during this trip is to pick up girls. One night at their motel room, while Sean is outside, Davy gets a random phone call from a woman with a sexy voice who identifies herself as 'Nicole'; they immediately start having phone sex together, with a long-winded scene of Davy masturbating as Nicole arouses him. The phone sex continues throughout Davy's book tour but the aspiring writer begins having more extended conversations with Nicole and he soon finds himself falling in love with her. Nicole refuses, however, to give Davy her own number so he must always wait for her call. Meanwhile, Sean eventually finds out about the mysterious caller and mocks his brother for his obsession. The two finally return home where we learn that Davy supports himself as a temp worker but right now can't find employment. Sean and his girlfriend invite Davy over to a party where he runs into Samantha, a woman who he had a brief fling with some time ago. Davy begins dating Samantha after Nicole stops calling him. Apparently, Nicole would not give in to Davy's demand to see him in person. After Davy doesn't hear from Nicole for weeks he becomes depressed and realizes that he has no desire to reciprocate Samantha's affection.Finally, Nicole calls back and they agree to meet. Davy purchases a plane ticket and flies to the city where Nicole lives. She initially cancels a dinner date but then agrees to see Davy the next day at a chain restaurant in the afternoon. I won't give away the surprise ending but Nicole doesn't turn out to be who Davy thinks she is.'Easier with Practice' is a very slow-paced film. The many scenes where Davy is on the phone with Nicole are static from a visual standpoint. Nonetheless, first time writer/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez manages to convey the loneliness of the depressed writer through a series of evocative visual images throughout the film.Alvarez does a fine job in directing the actors who give, low-key understated performances. A little more could have been done with brother Sean as he seems a bit of a one-note character, mainly expressing contempt for his brother who has an inability to form decent relationships. I also wanted to know more about how Davy supported himself—how was he able to finance his 'book tour' and later pay for his plane ticket (did he have savings?). Davy's internal character arc never develops much at all. At the film's denouement, there is a hint that he has grown from his experience but we're uncertain where he is headed in the future. Still, it's the mystery of the mystery caller's identity which we're curious about and the film pays off handsomely with a surprise, twist ending. If you're willing to put up with the slow-paced narrative, you will be rewarded with a neat surprise at the film's end.