In Praise of Family and the After-Party to ‘Virgin Suicides’

If the new film “The Virgin Suicides” is not exactly a celebration of the family unit, the Tuesday night premiere of the movie certainly was.

At the after-party at Les Deux Cafe in Hollywood, following the screening at the Egyptian, first-time writer-director Sofia Coppola was surrounded by family, including husband Spike Jonze (who directed last year’s “Being John Malkovich”), famous filmmaking parents Francis and Eleanor Coppola, brother Roman Coppola, aunt Talia Shire and cousin Jason Schwartzman.

“I’m very proud,” said Papa Coppola. “I think it’s beautiful, . . . a very multileveled film, very cinematic and--although it catches the feel of the teenage characters--it’s very mature.”

Actress Kirsten Dunst, who plays the beautiful and promiscuous Lux Lisbon in the movie, also had high praise for her director: “She’s so talented; I adore Sofia. This is her baby. Her heart went into this movie.”

Schwartzman, 19, who made a splash as a misfit prep-school kid in the 1998 movie “Rushmore,” was nothing short of exuberant--in a rather Roberto Benigni way: “I’m--my heart is pouring out of me, my smile couldn’t be bigger. I’m blown away.”

Also on hand: Actors Jennifer Jason Leigh, Adrien Brody, Rose McGowan and musician Johnny Ramone.

Elle magazine underwrote the party, but once you got a whiff of the appetizers--a concoction of onions, olives and anchovies--you couldn’t help but think that Altoids would have been an appropriate co-sponsor.

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Coppola’s Sure Hand

* “The Virgin Suicides” is a somber tale of repressed lives. Review, F6.