The Squid and the Whale
(****1/2) out of 5
"It's Mom and me against you and Dad," says Frank, the youngest son of the Berkman family, at the beginning of "The Squid and the Whale," Noah Baumbach's caustic yet moving observation on that most American of traditions: divorce. He's talking about what should be a friendly tennis match with family, but turns out to be an apt characterization for the brutal verbal tennis match that follows.
Bernard, whom Jeff Daniels portrays with just the right combination of charming aloofness and self-delusion, is a failed academic who -- perhaps inevitably -- now teaches a creative writing class, the kind of guy who drops phrases such as fait accompli into casual conversation. He achieved some literary recognition early in his career, but has since seen his output dwindle, his agent look elsewhere, and now finds fulfillment in flirting with his student (Anna Paquin), who contributes "epic stories about her vagina" to the class. To make matters worse for the pitifully competitive Bernard, his wife Joan (Laura Linney) is now the successful Berkman author, selling stories to The New Yorker and getting her novel published.
Early in the film, Joan and Bernard tell Frank and his older brother Walt that they will separate, Joan's affairs during the prior four years finally too much for Bernard to deal with. They agree to joint custody -- albeit each for their own selfish reasons -- and each son immediately chooses sides.
Walt clearly idolizes Bernard and the assumed authority that comes with being a published author. When Walt first talks with Sophie, a classmate he has his eye on, she tells him that "Tender is the Night" is one of her favorite novels. "That's minor Fitzgerald," Walt replies in the voice of his father, even though he hasn't read it. "'Gatsby' is really his masterpiece." So desperate is Walt's desire to meet his father's expectations and express his own talents that he later performs a Pink Floyd song at a talent show and claims he wrote it himself.
While Walt clings to whatever crumbs of wisdom Bernard hands down ("Do you think Sophie's pretty?" Walt asks. "She's not usually the type of girl I go for, but she's nice," Bernard deadpans), Frank stays on his mother's team. He's discouraged when Joan tells him he looks more like his father than her, and begins acting out sexually in school.
"The Squid and the Whale," which derives its metaphor from a museum exhibit featuring the two animals battling for position, plays out the way you'd expect a Wes Anderson-produced film to: it's off-beat, the soundtrack unlike anything else you hear in contemporary film, and funny just when things have gotten too serious.
At just less than 90 minutes, Baumbach doesn't waste any time, never allowing the pace to slow and ending right when Walt has achieved his well-earned sense of maturity. It also features an affable performance from William Baldwin. What more could the discerning viewer want?
"It's Mom and me against you and Dad," says Frank, the youngest son of the Berkman family, at the beginning of "The Squid and the Whale," Noah Baumbach's caustic yet moving observation on that most American of traditions: divorce. He's talking about what should be a friendly tennis match with family, but turns out to be an apt characterization for the brutal verbal tennis match that follows.
Bernard, whom Jeff Daniels portrays with just the right combination of charming aloofness and self-delusion, is a failed academic who -- perhaps inevitably -- now teaches a creative writing class, the kind of guy who drops phrases such as fait accompli into casual conversation. He achieved some literary recognition early in his career, but has since seen his output dwindle, his agent look elsewhere, and now finds fulfillment in flirting with his student (Anna Paquin), who contributes "epic stories about her vagina" to the class. To make matters worse for the pitifully competitive Bernard, his wife Joan (Laura Linney) is now the successful Berkman author, selling stories to The New Yorker and getting her novel published.
Early in the film, Joan and Bernard tell Frank and his older brother Walt that they will separate, Joan's affairs during the prior four years finally too much for Bernard to deal with. They agree to joint custody -- albeit each for their own selfish reasons -- and each son immediately chooses sides.
Walt clearly idolizes Bernard and the assumed authority that comes with being a published author. When Walt first talks with Sophie, a classmate he has his eye on, she tells him that "Tender is the Night" is one of her favorite novels. "That's minor Fitzgerald," Walt replies in the voice of his father, even though he hasn't read it. "'Gatsby' is really his masterpiece." So desperate is Walt's desire to meet his father's expectations and express his own talents that he later performs a Pink Floyd song at a talent show and claims he wrote it himself.
While Walt clings to whatever crumbs of wisdom Bernard hands down ("Do you think Sophie's pretty?" Walt asks. "She's not usually the type of girl I go for, but she's nice," Bernard deadpans), Frank stays on his mother's team. He's discouraged when Joan tells him he looks more like his father than her, and begins acting out sexually in school.
"The Squid and the Whale," which derives its metaphor from a museum exhibit featuring the two animals battling for position, plays out the way you'd expect a Wes Anderson-produced film to: it's off-beat, the soundtrack unlike anything else you hear in contemporary film, and funny just when things have gotten too serious.
At just less than 90 minutes, Baumbach doesn't waste any time, never allowing the pace to slow and ending right when Walt has achieved his well-earned sense of maturity. It also features an affable performance from William Baldwin. What more could the discerning viewer want?
posted by Mike at 3:39 PM
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