Baumbach’s fourth film is an intimate relationship drama with wonderful, intellectual humour. It follows his semi-autobiographical feature The Squid and the Whale (2005) that successfully premièred at the Sundance Film Festival where it also immediately won a prize, with many to follow.
Margot (Nicole Kidman) together with her teenage son is on her way to spend a weekend with her sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who is just about to get married. Margot herself is a successful New York writer but pretty neurotic and she enjoys a glass of wine (or two). Her sister has a surprise for her upon her arrival at their parental house, where Pauline lives. Even though she’s around forty and has a teenage daughter, she proudly announces to her famous sister that she is going to marry a new man, by whom she is pregnant. The husband-to-be is Malcolm (Jack Black) and he is not exactly the type of man Margot would appreciate. Pauline’s daughter is not jumping for joy either. The tension in the house mounts and there is more turbulence to come…
According to Baumbach, the style of his film is influenced by Eric Rohmer, the French master of the character-driven relationship drama, but one can certainly find elements of the humour of Woody Allen. This is a small pearl of the American independent cinema with fantastic performances. (LC)
Film details
- Country of production
- USA
- Year
- 2007
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2008
- Length
- 92'
- Medium/Format
- 35mm
