Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus teams up with writer-director Nicole Holofcener in “You Hurt My Feelings,” a refreshingly honest and simple story about a festering lie between a husband and wife.

Louis-Dreyfus plays writing professor and one-hit-wonder author Beth, who hopes her next book will truly put her on the map as a prestigious novelist. When she overhears her typically-supportive husband Don (Emmy nominee Tobias Menzies) say he dislikes the new novel, she is forced to confront how solid their marriage actually is.

The onscreen marriage between these two characters is refreshingly content and loving, with an established routine in New York City and clear affection for their grown son Eliot (Owen Teague, who stood out in the Oscar-nominated indie “To Leslie” earlier this year). Louis-Dreyfus has built a career on being the best in her field, and Menzies creates a compelling counterpart with Don: a therapist in a rut, he seemingly struggles to provide adequate counseling to couples in his office. His dishonesty about his wife’s book shatters the picture-perfect illusion of their life together, but never in a tedious or melodramatic way. This marital slight provides the backbone of the storyline, with Louis-Dreyfus bringing her signature humor to a frustrated, questioning Beth. Menzies brings a new, subtle approach to portraying a man in mid-life. The combination makes for an entertaining relationship study – and a darkly funny film with a thoughtful theme.

Thankfully, Holofcener never seems tempted to “unravel” Don’s indiscretion into some larger pattern of deceit. While other filmmakers might feel the need to force more plot into 93 minutes, Holofcener makes her point and exits the building before her narrative can become stale or redundant. The supporting cast of Michael Watkins and Arian Moayed as Beth’s sister and brother-in-law add another layer of humor and thoughtfulness to the film. Real-life couple Amber Tamblyn and David Cross are exceedingly funny as Don’s longtime patients. Holofcener creates a small but very authentic circle of characters with real lives and real feelings, never venturing into over-the-top territory.

“You Hurt My Feelings” is not only the study of a marriage but of relationships in general – a thorough examination of little white lies and what it means to actually support another person while protecting their feelings. It is rare to see an onscreen couple face such realistic challenges, without falling back on shallow plot devices. There is no illicit adultery, no secret addiction here – just two people examining the cracks and sagging in their foundation, and figuring out how to fix it. Smartly-written, expertly-acted and refreshingly (if deceptively) simple, the feature is one of Holofcener’s best. In theaters May 26.