I watched Baumbach's latest tonight, Margot at the Wedding. I'm a big fan of The Squid and the Whale, so I had high expectations coming into this one, even though the cast didn't have me excited.
I knew it was a family drama and Baumbach knows his stuff when it comes to dysfunctional families.
I really struggled to enjoy Kidman in her leading role here. I'm not usually a large fan of her work and I know her character is supposed to be a calculating bitch, but I just didn't connect with the character the way I did with Jeff Daniels' in S&W.
I don't know if it's the way the character was written or just how she went about her portrayal.
Also, the kid in this one wasn't as affecting as the the two in S&W.
Oddly enough, Jack Black was probably the highlight of the movie for me, minus Turturro's quick role, I was glad to see him. Black was funny, but a subdued funny. He didn't have to make goofy faces or noises, he kept it pretty dry and had some good lines. His crying scenes were another thing though, dudes gotta work on that aspect of his craft.
I don't want to totally hate on this film, I did enjoy it. It's uncomfortable, funny and crass just like the rest of Baumbach's work. If you enjoyed The Squid and the Whale this one is worth your time.
I had kind of a slow week school-wise and watched a couple of other worthwhile films, so I'll try and throw up some posts on those tomorrow.
I'm coming home this weekend, so let's meet up.
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