dinsdag 14 juni 2016

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 85: The Squid and the Whale

Director: Noah Baumbach
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 81 minutes
Year: 2005
Starring: Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, William Baldwin, Anna Paquin

Description: Follows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

Review: An estranged mother and father tell their two sons they are getting a divorce. But what effect will it have on them?
It’s 1986, New York. Professor Bernard Berkman and his wife Joan have grown apart. Bernard is a brilliant man, fascinated by himself and no longer interested in his wife. That’s why Joan has had her share of affairs. The two decide to separate. Their two sons, the sixteen-year-old Walt and the four year younger Frank, are the victims. Bernard has to move into a small apartment in a bad neighborhood. Frank wants to stay with his mom, while Walt adores his dad. Walt blames his mother for everything. Everything gets more complicated when one of Bernard’s students, Lili, moves in with them and gets the interest of both Bernard and Walt. And Joan starts seeing Frank’s tennis coach.
Noah Baumback is a very intelligent film maker. Together with Wes Anderson he wrote “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and you see the influence of Anderson in “The Squid and the Whale”.
I somehow always enjoy films with dysfunctional families, because this way I realize how great my family is. The kids, Walt and Frank, are played very natural by Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline. Both are unsure about everything that is about to happen and deal with the situation in their own way. Jeff Daniels, who plays Bernard, I have always found a very underrated actor. He is really good in this film. And Laura Linney is also very strong as Joan.
Because of the great acting, the realistic happenings, the good script and the characters, this movie works well. “The Squid and the Whale” is a must-see for people who love tragic comedic family films. Fantastic film!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Geen opmerkingen: