The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Runtime: 88 mins
Theatrical Release: Oct 5, 2005 Limited
Box Office: $7,073,391
Synopsis: Noah Baumbach's THE SQUID AND THE WHALE is an excruciatingly humane, often hilarious portrait of a disintegrating family in mid-1980s Brooklyn. Set in the stately yet off-kilter neighborhood of Park Slope, the film tells the story of the Berkmans, a quintessentially New York family... Noah Baumbach's THE SQUID AND THE WHALE is an excruciatingly humane, often hilarious portrait of a disintegrating family in mid-1980s Brooklyn. Set in the stately yet off-kilter neighborhood of Park Slope, the film tells the story of the Berkmans, a quintessentially New York family struggling to keep things together. Family patriarch Bernard (Jeff Daniels) is a published author and writing teacher whose insecurity over his own lack of recognition continues to plague him. Meanwhile, his wife, Joan (Laura Linney), is grappling with her own sense of unsettlement. Their sons, who are caught in the crossfire, express their confusion in different ways: 16-year-old Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) tries to pass off Pink Floyd's "Hey You" as his own hit in the school talent show, while his 12-year-old brother Frank (Owen Kline) begins to explore his burgeoning sexuality and alcoholism. When Bernard and Joan finally decide to separate, the family must confront their unraveling situation head on. Rarely has family dysfunction been captured so frankly and honestly as in THE SQUID AND THE WHALE. Baumbach claims his film is only semi-autobiographical, but, from the pitch-perfect writing and nostalgic tone, it feels as if we're watching home videos of the writer-director's past. Featuring an outstanding pop-music soundtrack (Bert Jansch, the Feelies, Lou Reed), the film also boasts performances that seem certain to earn end-of-the-year accolades. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, William Baldwin
DVD Info
Release:
Mar 21, 2006
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Dolby Digital Surround - French
- Subtitles - English - Close Captioned
- Subtitles - French - Optional
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Additional Release Material:
- Audio Commentary - Noah Baumbach - Director
- Behind the Scenes - Featurette
- Interviews - Noah Baumbach - Director
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Like the diorama in New York's Museum of Natural History from which the film's title is derived, The Squid And The Whale depicts deep-seated conflict in a manner that is at once exquisitely lifelike and mesmerisingly awful to look at.
Un retrato honesto y revelador de la descomposición de un matrimonio, visto desde la perspectiva de los hijos adolescentes.
...Baumbach's most emotionally potent and visually coherent film to date.
Doesn't break much new ground in terms of parental misconduct or adolescent sexual confusion.
Beautifully written, moving and frequently hilarious drama with terrific performances and superb, Oscar-nominated dialogue - this is one of the best films of the year.
It's brittle, yet tender. Familiar, yet fresh. Intelligent with shooting pains of unpredictability, the film offers no simple answers to unanswerable questions. Instead it leave us with a heartfelt portrayal that involves and touches us.
Relentless in its condemnation of childish parenting and irresponsibility, Noah Baumbach's uncomfortable The Squid and the Whale ranks as one of 2005's best films by pulling no punches whatsoever.
An insightful, unblinking, bittersweet and funny portrait of a family in the process of a bitter divorce.
As smart and strongly acted as the movie is, you're still left with the feeling that it's ultimately a rather thin slice of personal history that would have been better left as a short story or a lifetime of therapy sessions.
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