George Clooney’s new girlfriend has passed the friend test — at least with longtime Clooney accomplice Matt Damon!

Matt has been impressed with Italian entertainment journalist Elisabetta Canalis ever since he and wife Luciana vacationed with the new couple over the summer.

“She is a really, really wonderful woman,” Matt Damon told PEOPLE at the New York premiere of his new film The Informant on Tuesday.

“It’s nice to see my friend so happy,” Matt added.