3rd film's a charm for Keener

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,