This is the kind of movie that you go to when you just can't bear to go to another crappy Hollywood blockbuster. I saw it at the 2005 Tribeca festival and scanned the trades until I saw the review in Variety that pays the film the tribute it deserves.
Ronnie Scheib nailed it on the head: "Sharp dialogue, idiosyncratic characters and a wickedly brilliant structure that subtly derails expectation make "Laura Smiles" a rarity among mellers. Jason Ruscio's sophomore feature traces the quietly psycho, often hilarious disintegration of an American housewife. "Laura" could become an indie "American Beauty.""