Rent The Squid and the Whale (2005)
3.5 of 5 from 238 ratings
1h 17min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
In his third feature, director Noah Baumbach scores a triumph with an autobiographical coming-of-age story about a teenager whose writer-parents are divorcing. The father (Jeff Daniels) and mother (Laura Linney) duke it out in half-civilized, half-savage fashion, while their two sons adapt in different ways, shifting allegiances between parents. The film is squirmy-funny and nakedly honest about the rationalisations and compensatory snobbisms of artistic failure as wellias the conflicted desires of adolescents for sex and status. In detailing bohemian-bourgeois life in brownstone Brooklyn, Baumbach is spot on; everyone proceeds from good intentions and acts rather badly, in spite or because of their manifest intelligence... - Actors:
- Owen Kline, Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, William Baldwin, David Benger, Anna Paquin, Molly Barton, Bo Berkman, Matthew Kaplan, Simon Kaplan, Matthew Kirsch, Daniella Markowicz, Elizabeth Meriwether, Ben Schrank, Amy Srebnick, Josh Srebnick, Emma Straub, Alan Wilkis, James Hamilton
- Directors:
- Noah Baumbach
- Producers:
- Wes Anderson, Charlie Corwin, Clara Markowicz, Peter Newman
- Writers:
- Noah Baumbach
- Studio:
- Sony
- Genres:
- Comedy, Drama
- Collections:
- A History of Sports Films (Summer Edition), Getting to Know: Laura Linney, Top 10 Tennis Films
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 05/12/2016
- Run Time:
- 81 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- New interviews with Baumbach and actors Jeff Daniels, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, and Laura Linney
- New conversation about the score and other music in the film between Baumbach and composers Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips
- Behind "The Squid and the Whale," a 2005 documentary featuring on-set footage and cast interviews
- Audition Footage
- Trailers
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Reviews (4) of The Squid and the Whale
(Un)happy families - The Squid and the Whale review by Kurtz
An unflinching and at times darkly comic portrayal of the break-up of a family of American intellectuals, this is Laura Linney territory and she is excellent as ever as the wife who has outgrown her pompous loser of a husband. Jeff Daniels is brilliant in this role, creating an appallingly petty character full of bitterness over the absence of the literary success he feels he deserves, but still winning a few shreds of sympathy for the indignities he suffers. The kids are hapless bystanders in this conflict, but they are convincing too, especially Jesse Eisenberg’s “daddy clone”, who nails just the right combination of arrogance and insecurity. Just like in real life, no-one is completely at fault for the break-up, and no-one is completely innocent; the family just seem to have got to the end of their time together. Not a bundle of laughs, but beautifully done.
3 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Superb look at a civilised break up. - The Squid and the Whale review by CP Customer
I loved every minute of 'The Squid And The Whale', the idea of creating a film around a family in which both parents are liberal minded intellectuals, who make the decision the break up in a very adult and civilised manner was very smart. And what adds to the film is the fact that the more the parents attempt to be civilised, the more unreasonable and destructive they actually become. And while the film is labelled as a comedy, it is far more subtle and dark than laugh out loud comedy, so if you're expecting laughs you're going to be disappointed, but of you enjoy small character based films them this is well worth a rental.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Boring - The Squid and the Whale review by WS
This film had some good reviews. But I thought I was going to die of boredom when I watched it.
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.