The Squid and The Whale 3/5 review by Chris
This is an old review I did of this movie when it first came out. It was originally posted on the 1st Critic Crew website, but this one works much better, so now it is posted here. Enjoy:
The Squid and The Whale
-Now in Theaters-
Chris’s Review:
Today, on a whim, I saw this film. It is getting quite a bit of praise from the critic types and the writer/director Noah Baumbach pulled in both the Director’s Award and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance. The basic premise is as follows: “Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980's.”Thanks to imdb.com for the plot outline. I will add though that one of the main plot points is the fact that both parents are intellectuals. The father (played by Jeff Daniels) is a novelist and teacher whose career is struggling while the mother (played by Laura Linney) is a writer on the verge of her first novel being published and is enjoying success as a contributing writer to various magazines and literary journals. This proves to be an excellent back drop for the story of a family dealing with a rather sad separation that at times is so convincing you feel like a guilt laden voyeur being allowed too much access.
Despite the fact that the subject matter is the rather heavy topic of divorce and what it can do to both the parents involved as well as the children caught in the middle, there is a fair amount of humor to be found in this film. It has the feel of dancing dangerously on the line between drama and dark comedy. I felt that more time was spent on the drama side of that line, but there are unmistakable moments of a bizarre light heartedness. My only problem with the over-all feel was that those moments that would be very funny when taken alone are almost uncomfortable when taken in the context of a somewhat depressingly well acted and well written account of the destructive power of divorce.
I do highly recommend this movie though. The performances are all VERY good. The characters feel extremely real and human. The film itself seems to accomplish its goal of being, simply, a snap shot into this family’s life without offering a packaged happy ending or preaching a particular view on how divorce should be approached.
Chris’s Vote:
Worth my time to see. I liked it for what it was.
Chris’s recommendation:
See this movie if…
-You like art house movies.
-You enjoy very real and interesting character portrayals.
-You or someone you know went through their parent’s divorcing at a young age.
Don’t see this movie if…
-You can’t handle movies with no car chases, explosions, one liners, or action heroes.
-You need a tidy ending where everything is explained into a nice “…and they lived happily ever after.”
-A VERY realistic portrayal of a family struggling through a divorce sounds uncomfortable (which it very well may be to some people).
The Squid and The Whale
-Now in Theaters-
Chris’s Review:
Today, on a whim, I saw this film. It is getting quite a bit of praise from the critic types and the writer/director Noah Baumbach pulled in both the Director’s Award and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance. The basic premise is as follows: “Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980's.”Thanks to imdb.com for the plot outline. I will add though that one of the main plot points is the fact that both parents are intellectuals. The father (played by Jeff Daniels) is a novelist and teacher whose career is struggling while the mother (played by Laura Linney) is a writer on the verge of her first novel being published and is enjoying success as a contributing writer to various magazines and literary journals. This proves to be an excellent back drop for the story of a family dealing with a rather sad separation that at times is so convincing you feel like a guilt laden voyeur being allowed too much access.
Despite the fact that the subject matter is the rather heavy topic of divorce and what it can do to both the parents involved as well as the children caught in the middle, there is a fair amount of humor to be found in this film. It has the feel of dancing dangerously on the line between drama and dark comedy. I felt that more time was spent on the drama side of that line, but there are unmistakable moments of a bizarre light heartedness. My only problem with the over-all feel was that those moments that would be very funny when taken alone are almost uncomfortable when taken in the context of a somewhat depressingly well acted and well written account of the destructive power of divorce.
I do highly recommend this movie though. The performances are all VERY good. The characters feel extremely real and human. The film itself seems to accomplish its goal of being, simply, a snap shot into this family’s life without offering a packaged happy ending or preaching a particular view on how divorce should be approached.
Chris’s Vote:
Worth my time to see. I liked it for what it was.
Chris’s recommendation:
See this movie if…
-You like art house movies.
-You enjoy very real and interesting character portrayals.
-You or someone you know went through their parent’s divorcing at a young age.
Don’t see this movie if…
-You can’t handle movies with no car chases, explosions, one liners, or action heroes.
-You need a tidy ending where everything is explained into a nice “…and they lived happily ever after.”
-A VERY realistic portrayal of a family struggling through a divorce sounds uncomfortable (which it very well may be to some people).
posted by Joe Punchface at 11:47 AM
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