= 4 stars

Starring Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg
Directed by Noah Baumbach

Amazon Link

Hmmm. The only way I can swallow The Squid And The Whale whole is to consider it a black comedy - squid-ink black. If the thought of a young kid swearing, drinking beer, and masturbating in a library strikes your funny bone, this film is for you.

The film expertly skewers a particular character type: Bernard Berkman (Jeff Daniels), is an intellectual writer - smart, well-read, contemplative - but a total asshole. He’s hyper-competitive, dislikes “philistines“, and his highest compliment is that something is “interesting.” Able to analyze a person’s prose forward and backwards, he’s sadly at a loss for words regarding his failed marriage to writer Joan (Laura Linney). Perhaps the tired pair are the fighting squid and whale of the film’s title.

Unfortunately, two kids are caught in the tussle’s wake. Teenage son Walt (Jesse Eisenberg), lacking life experience, mimics his father’s intellectual posturing but with no substance beneath. He name-drops Kafka’s Metamorphosis without ever having read the book, describing it as “Kafkaesque.” At a school talent show, he covers a Pink Floyd song but claims he composed it. The joke is that Bernard and Joan don’t recognize this plagiarism, as their tastes are too refined for rock.

Much of the film documents the various coping mechanisms the family members retreat to in reaction to the divorce. Joan continues an affair with tennis instructor Ivan (William Baldwin) - undoubtedly a Philistine, while Bernard responds by inviting a student (Anna Paquin) to move in. Ignored, the two kids turn self-destructive, when all they probably need is a hug and an ice cream sandwich.

My frustration aside, The Squid And The Whale is a solid indie film. The performances are all top notch, especially Laura Linney, pitch-perfect as ever, showing the right amount of weariness and light at the right moments - in one key scene she bursts into laughter, giving the film a reason to exist.

However, I hold off from a full recommendation as divorce is a crappy subject, and not exactly the most tasteful place for humor. I found it difficult to watch adults squabbling over kids, yelling at each other; basically acting petty and selfish in hopes to do the other in. We aren’t supposed to empathize or laugh with these characters as much as at them - and that’s a hard place to go if the disintegrating family subject matter is familiar. I was actually surprised to check out Rotten Tomatoes and see a 94% fresh rating.

Still, I liked The Squid And The Whale more than not. One neat touch are oddly appropriate musical choices. I’m unfamiliar with the artist Blossom Dearie, whose Schoolhouse Rock song “Figure Eight” seems to have been buried in my subconscious. Her voice struck me as particularly Blossom Dearie-esque.

IMDB: The Squid And The Whale
Wikipedia: The Squid And The Whale
Rotten Tomatoes: The Squid And The Whale 94%

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Categories: 4 Star Movies, General, Movies :: Tags: 4 stars, Jeff Daniels, Jesse Eisenberg, Laura Linney, Noah Baumbach :: Trackback URL
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