Customer Reviews

The Squid and the Whale (Special Edition)

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

One of the commercial reviews for this film said that it was the performance of his career for Jeff Daniels and I would have to agree. As Bernard Berkman, a formerly successful and renowned writer--but now having serious trouble with his career--Daniels nails it perfectly. He's arrogant, pompous--a real prig. He blames everyone (mostly his wife) for the collapse of his marriage but himself. His older son, Walt, played in an astonishingly good performance by Jesse Eisenberg, at first sides with his dad, then realizes how callous his father really is.

At the same time, his mother--Laura Linney in another great performance (here's an actress who can do no wrong; there isn't one film she's in where she turns in a bad performance)--is not only besting her husband in the literary game (she receives a notice from a major publisher of their forthcoming publication of her first novel), but also has her husband reveal her former four-year affair with the father of one of Walt's classmates and is currently taking up with Ivan, the smug, smarmy but nevertheless relatively good-hearted (and younger) tennis instructor played by William Baldwin, Alec's brother.

So neither parent is perfect. Not by a long shot. What'a a teenager to do? Not only Walt, but Frank, Walt's younger brother, is also dramatically impacted by this rancorous marital discord, in bizarre ways that should be seen to be believed. Both boys act out their enormous frustration, rage, and general malaise in ways that relate directly to sexual/relationship dysfunction, mirroring their parents' problems.

At the same time there is a large dollop of dark humor here, revealing the smarts and humor of the writer-director, Noah Baumbach (the co-writer of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Wes Anderson's film; Anderson co-produced The Squid and the Whale). The ending is a fitting tribute to the title of the film which refers, perhaps, to the couple themselves...or maybe to something else?

This is an intelligently written, terrifically acted film with not one bad line or one bad performance. One of the best American films of the year so far. Highly recommended.

The Squid and the Whale, written and directed by Noah Baumbach, is an unusually realistic, well-acted and honest film about a dysfunctional Brooklyn family in the 1980s. The film is alternately comical and serious, yet unlike most movies of this genre, it neither sentimentalizes nor demonizes any of its characters, no matter how absurd or even despicable their behavior may be. One interesting quality about this partly autobiographical film is the convincing way it portrays the values and lifestyles of a particular type of intellectual middle class family. What will disturb and even shock some viewers is the casual way these quasi-bohemian folks raise --or barely raise-- their children. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney both give superb performances as Bernard and Joan, parents who in many ways seem more like older siblings to their children. There is an almost total absence of the usual parenting concerns --these kids curse, consume alcohol and explore their sexuality with no lectures or moral condemnation from their parents. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, these are people who pride themselves on their sophistication and aesthetic approach to life, so they consider themselves above bourgeois morality. Secondly, they are simply too distracted with their petty conflicts (mainly with each other) to notice much of what their children are up to, aside from how it directly impacts them. The children, Walt and Frank (Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline, who also give great performances) are somewhat more disturbed than average adolescents. The movie begins with the family playing a doubles tennis game, with Bernard and Walt playing against Joan and Frank. This mirrors the loyalties that develop as the parents separate and try to work the kinks out of an awkward joint custody arrangement.

From reading some reviews of the film, it is obvious that some people would have preferred a more moralistic tone, one that makes it clear that these parents are negligent, even evil. Yet this would have undercut one of the films' strengths, which is to portray this subculture without heavy-handed judgments. Joan and Bernard, along with their lifestyle are hardly romanticized and their flaws as parents are obvious enough. Bernard is a pompous intellectual who masks his insecurity about his fledgling writing career with an arrogant persona. For example, he calls Kafka "one of my predecessors." His wife, meanwhile , has been carrying on an affair for four years and wastes no time in dating new men right after the separation. Following this, Bernard begins dating one of his students. Both are largely oblivious to their children's behavior problems at school. There is a dark hilarity to the situation, helped along by Joan and Bernard's obtuseness. Despite their idiosyncrasies and flaws, these are not really terrible parents. While they are certainly self-centered, they are not cruel or even indifferent towards their children. Sadly, many conventional families are just as dysfunctional, if in a different manner. This family, with all its misery, does instill a certain regard for intellectual and artistic matters that is all too lacking in much of society, though this obviously comes at a price. In the balance, Bernard and Joan are actually average parents whose faults manifest in unconventional ways that reflect their lifestyle. Since the film is based on the director's actual childhood, we can safely assume that he didn't grow up to be a complete basket case. I think this is what really disturbs some people - that the sky does not fall when conventional mores are not strictly followed. Or, closer to the truth, when sufficient lip service isn't paid to these mores which, after all, many people fail to live up to. Baumbach may have survived and even prospered, but he did not come away from his childhood unscathed. His real achievement here is that he is able to scour the parents, without having to rely on sanctimonious moralizing and still allow their basic humanity and positive qualities to surface. One of the best films about family life that has come along in years.

The Squid and the Whale is one of the more poetic and well conceived movies I have seen in a while. The brilliant intertwining of the different character's stories is well done and gives an overall "realistic" atmosphere that seems so hard to achieve in film (including documentaries). The fluid transitions of humor, jealousy, fantasy, forgiveness, and growth flesh out the story as a truly classic tragic comedy.

Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney both do an amazing job of bringing out all the irony and contradictions of their characters. Egocentric to the point of ridiculousness and desperately needing approval; they both push and pull at each-other and their children creating a very powerful ebb and flow of humor, hope and failure. Because of this breakdown the children reflect, deny, and attempt to adjust to their parents anguish sometimes with painful results.

The soundtrack is quirky and always fits in nicely with the story. There's a good mix of well know musicians like Lou Reed and Pink Floyd with top notch but relatively unknown musicians like Pentangle's Bert Jansch or The Feelies. I like that the movie takes place in the early 80's but the filmmaker didn't go with obvious choices or with music just from that time.

What really shines the most in this movie is the writing. There are so many well expressed dimensions about the complications of relationships, and so many hidden gems of humor and insight that it provokes thoughtfulness and laughter (sometimes at the same time). Brilliant.

Completely overlooked at the Oscars, "The Squid and the Whale" features two of the strongest performances of 2005 from Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney and a powerful script. How this gem of a drama got overlooked (and why Daniels, Linney and Baumbach weren't nominated for awards is beyond me). Joan (Laura Linney) and Bernard (Jeff Daniels) are in the middle of a nasty divorce that's pulling apart the lives of their two sons Walt (Jesse) and Frank (Owen Kline). Bernard is a self important "writer" whose career and marriage have gone astray. He blames everyone but himself and when his wife's writing career takes off it complicates things even further making the bitterness a canyon vs. a river between them. It's clear that we have a dynsfunctional family here--one of the kids masturbates and wipes the result on items in the house as a form of revenge. Clearly this film isn't for everyone and will revolt some people. There aren't any pivotal plot points that drive the story-it's more a series of events, much like life, strung together with the emotional turmoil of the story driving the story forward. It's a riveting film but may not be for everyone.

A sharp extremely good transfer is a major highlight for this film. Colors are muted but accurate and keep in mind this isn't supposed to be an eye popping film like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". The 5.1 sound has the quality one would expect from a new movie but keep in mind that the audio is designed for a drama not a big action film. Atmospheric effects are nicely placed around the speakers.

Noah Baumbach provides an intelligent observant commentary track full of trivia about the shooting of the movie and the performances in the film. The behind-the-scenes featurette is pretty good as well with some thoughtful comments from the actors. The "conversation" with Baumbach and film critic Philip Lopate is probably the more interesting of the two shorts included with Baumbach discussing everything from the inspiration for the film to why the film ends the way it does.

A terrific, emotional powerful film that touches on the victims of divorce, "The Squid and the Whale" probably had the worst title of any of the films that came out last year which may have impacted its performance with audiences. The actors give terrific performances and it's a shame that the Academy Awards chose to overlook these performances.

Did you live through the eighties, endure a "family conference," or take sides in the "which parent is the *bad* parent post-divorce debate?" If yes, you may find this film provides a clear-eyed look at the rupturing of a family through divorce. Set in New York, the Squid & the Whale is both indecently funny (for example the hilarious depiction of the writer/intellectual Bernard's decent into vacuousness via his mind numbing repetition of adjectives like "filet" "dense" and "elegant," which mask Bernard's lack of deep engagement with much of anything) and sharply painfully as it traces the journey of two angry sons stumbling toward a fuller understanding of who their parents really are.

For me, the most compelling storyline in this film was the coming of age tale of sixteen-year-old Walt. In the beginning of the film, Walt, and his twelve-year-old brother Frank, impotently act out against joint custody as well as their parents' unveiled sexuality. The two alternately challenge, refuse, and take on their parent's values. Over time, the sons stop reacting and begin to demand a role in creating their post-divorce lives. Walt's contempt for his mother (Laura Linney) and his glorification of his self-centered father (an acting tour de force by Jeff Daniels) begins to change as Walt experiences insight into his mother's motivation for her affairs and the nature of his mother and father's relationship (driven home to the viewer with the Squid and the Whale metaphor/exhibit at the Natural History Museum). Ultimately, we are left alone with Walt, humming "Hey You" by Pink Floyd, gazing at struggling monsters, facing fear, and wondering, " what's next?"

A flawless film? No. The psychological underpinnings of Bernard's dysfunction are too blatantly displayed (the long pan on his book, "Underwater," and the direct reference to his film poster, "The Mother and the Whore" - in case you missed it in the background). And it was a bit trite to have Walt's awakening occur during a conversation with a psychologist. But then again, one could argue that we are always blaring out the roots of our malaise to anyone who would care to listen and, perhaps it was fitting - in the context of the film -- that Walt began to understand his own mind by creating a narrative about his past happiness. So I would say yes, definitely well worth a viewing. Perhaps even two.

I knew while watching "The Squid and the Whale" in the theater that it might not have a broad appeal. But for me, it was perfection. The reviews here are very divisive--many people loathe this film. This kind of surprised me, but than I realized that many of the films that I love separate the viewing public with passionate supporters versus equally irate detractors. In fact, I tend to think of that as a good thing. A film that can provoke such strong emotion either way is doing something right.

But curiously enough, I didn't think of this film as provocative until now. I took a friend to see it who is much more into mainstream films, and they liked it quite well.

Without a doubt, "The Squid and the Whale" boasts one of the smartest, most literate, and scathingly funny screenplays I have seen in a long while. It wasn't an accident that writer/director Noah Baumbach was up for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. In fact, this won Best Screenplay from many critics groups including (but not limited to) the LA Film Critics, the New York Film Critics, the National Society of Film Critics and the National Board of Review. It is a pitch perfect war of words. And that's exactly what I mean--the characters in this film are at war and their language is the weapon of choice.

Essentially the plot involves a family breaking apart. Maybe people don't easily identify with them because they are intellectuals. They are pompous, superior, unkind to one another and frankly not that likable--but they're real. The father is a jerk, the mother is semi-promiscuous and the kids are disturbed. Wait a minute--sounds like my home life. In other hands, this might have played out like a TV movie of the week. But what we get here is a blistering look at relationships and dysfunction--and forget what you've heard elsewhere, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A COMEDY. Mean spirited, at times--YES. Uncomfortable, at times--YES. But the humor is abundant. I laughed almost nonstop watching this film. Seriously.

Jeff Daniels, an actor I've always been somewhat apathetic about, gives the best performance of his career. He should have given up nice guy roles long ago if this is the result. Laura Linney is great, as always. And Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline (son of Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates) are first rate. I can't recommend this enough--it's riveting, powerful cinema. KGHarris, 10/06.

The Squid and the Whale follows a family as they fall apart, coping with their troubles in different ways such as sexuality, alcohol, status and belittlement. There are four distinct characters. The mother is a woman who has just found her discovered her writing ability; this however doesn't go over well with her husband who is a pretentious, unsuccessful writer. The oldest son however has infinite faith in his father and follows him even to the renouncing of his mother, the younger son however has more of a bond with his mother. As the parents divorce, their lives spin into worlds of anger, denial and general twistedness.

The way the movie explores our way of avoiding each other and shirting blame Is incredibly realistic and quite confrontational, even if you're not situations as extreme as these kids. The movie supplies laughter at how blatantly pathetic they are but a certain sadness in their messy, random grappling for a one-up. In the end there are so many mixed feelings you are left with that you're not quite sure what to think except that it was good.

This movie reminded me of The Royal Tennenbaums with its family of too-sophisticated-for-their-own-good intellectuals and their bad habits. Only where the Royal Tennanbaums is a comic fairytale, this movie has some harsh things to say about the elitist types that find The New Yorker and Harpers the height of creativity.

Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney anchor this movie as the divorced parents. Laura Linney has a quiet resolve to survive no matter what her husband pulls, while Jeff Daniels is a bully that would never admit to the complicity in his life. He buys his son a desk that's for the wrong hand. He dismisses most writers as hacks or most of their work as minor. He repeats himself as if he's hit upon the greatest wisdom with his cliches. Yet you can see why his son sides with him throughout the movie.

The movie mostly belongs to the oldest son, who sets out to be a copy of Jeff Daniels character and slowly realizes that he's a jerk. The scenes where he's repeating his father's dismissal of writers are painful because you know that he's just parroting his father, so when his girlfriend points out that the Metamorphasis is Kafka-esque because Kafka wrote it, he's got nothing else to say about the story. His greatest accomplishment is to play a Pink Floyd song at a talent show and pass it off as his own (the one false note is the talent show committee only catching on after they give him the prize money and asking for it back. I can see why the parents are clueless about 70s rock music, but I'd think that someone else would catch on especially since it's a song from The Wall). And only when he goes to mandatory therapy does he begin to understand that his mother was the only parent that actually acted like a parent.

This is a great movie full of original and disturbing characters (I haven't mentioned Owen Kline's turn as a nasty 12-year old who drinks and swears throughout the movie. It's disturbingly funny.) and well worth your time and money.

The Squid and the Whale gives an honest portrayal of a long-term marriage falling apart and subsequently ending in divorce. The movie highlights the differences the divorce impact has on the older child versus the younger child as well as the parents' relationship. The divorce happens at a critical time in both childrens' lives when their self-identities and sexuality are changing and/or being discovered. You can imagine that having your seemingly happy home turned upside down during these major life changes can have some odd impacts. The parents are also going through some sexual awakenings of their own. The plot line is refreshingly simple without antics or drama but the honest telling of a divorce story.

IT'S EASY to get the gist of the Berkman family during the very first scene of "The Squid and the Whale."

The four of them are on a Brooklyn tennis court, playing doubles -- novelist and college professor Bernard (Jeff Daniels) is paired with his loyal 16-year-old son Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) against his wife Joan (Laura Linney) and his younger, milder son Frank (Owen Kline).

Bernard suggests Walt exploit Joan's weak backhand and, as the strategy succeeds, the game gradually gets more heated.

Eventually, though, Joan is pelted with a ball, a tense time-out is called and it's no surprise when, a few scenes later, the couple tell their children they're splitting up.

But while the tennis match seems to define the family's history, it also comes to mirror their breakup: In the aftermath, Walt defends his dad, who in turn plays him against Joan and also gives him terrible, bitter, middle-aged advice.

Frank, meanwhile, is led by his unhappiness into stranger, more troubling behavior.

"Squid" was written and directed by Noah Baumbach. He co-wrote "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," directed 1995's post-collegiate comedy "Kicking and Screaming" and is also the son of Village Voice film critic Georgia Brown and novelist and critic Jonathan Baumbach. Reportedly, the movie is based on his own experiences growing up and, while the family portrait is at times harsh, it still feels loving and real.

Daniels, wearing an incredibly itchy-looking beard that resembles streaked steel wool, somehow makes the jerky Bernard both thoroughly insufferable but also very funny (he's simply too well-read and cultured to bother with such concepts as humility and compassion). Linney's Joan is pragmatic, but also mostly sympathetic. Eisenberg perfectly conveys the anxiety of a young man trying to find the path to adulthood while the adults in his life seem to be heading in the opposite direction. And Owen Kline, actor Kevin Kline's 14-year-old son (who actually looks a good deal younger than his age) deftly handles some of the film's more cringe-inducing moments.

All of this adds up to a strange combination of elements. Despite its downbeat subject matter, "Squid" is actually more comedy than drama; yet despite its almost childlike title, it's a frank and knowing look at the ways divorce affects children. Essentially, though, this is a kids' movie for grown-ups, a little like a toned-down version of "The Royal Tenenbaums," crossed with the angst, anger and ickiness of a John Irving novel.

Like Eisenberg's character, I was 16 in 1986 and while there are some anachronisms here and there (modern soap dispensers, lots of post-86 cars and an entrance to the American Museum of Natural History that wasn't built until 2000 -- a forgivable side effect of the film's microscopic budget), the tone feels dead on. Kids making out to the Cars' "Drive," Burger King glasses and just the general vibe of the decor all hit the mark. Plus, as a slightly unsuspecting young person who also saw "Blue Velvet" in a theater, I literally howled at "Squid"'s nod to David Lynch's classic. And, yes, the nurse that Bernard likes because he says she looks like a young Monica Vitti... really does look like a young Monica Vitti.