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Movie Overview
Cast
Jeff Daniels
Laura Linney
Jesse Eisenberg
Director
Noah Baumbach
MPAA Rating
R - strong sexual content, graphic dialogue and language
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
REVIEWS
NEWS
INTERVIEWS
OTHER
(1 - 37) of 37
OFCS Rating: 92% Fresh
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"Like the diorama in New York's Museum of Natural History from which the film's title is derived,
The Squid And The Whale
depicts deep-seated conflict in a manner that is at once exquisitely lifelike and mesmerisingly awful to look at."
Eye for Film
Anton Bitel
8/10
"Baumbach’s real achievement is his deft ability to balance the emotional brutality of joint custody with the natural humor of domestic life."
Freeze Dried Movies
Brian Juergens
4/5
"about three-fourths of one of the greatest films you will ever see"
Filmcritic.com
Chris Barsanti
"Though it's clear where Walt gets such ideas, it's painful to watch him implement them."
PopMatters
Cynthia Fuchs
2.5/4
"...would be just as effective on home video as on the big screen..."
Reel Film Reviews
David Nusair
A
"In its tragicomic presentation strikes a true note."
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Dennis Schwartz
3/4
"If they can bear to see their son cursing like a sailor, drinking up a storm, and masturbating like a fanatic, Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates have a lot to be proud of."
TheMovieBoy.com
Dustin Putman
4/5
"Un retrato honesto y revelador de la descomposición de un matrimonio, visto desde la perspectiva de los hijos adolescentes."
Uruguay Total
Enrique Buchichio
B-
"This film thinks it has more to say than it actually does. Ignoring its pretensions, however, it's a solid, quirky piece of work."
EricDSnider.com
Eric D. Snider
3.5/4
"In Baumbach’s compelling coming-of-age portrait of stark domesticity,
The Squid and the Whale
is ruthlessly savvy as an introspective showcase of self-reflection"
Movie Eye
Frank Ochieng
B+
"A literate, sharply observed film that juggles tragic and comedic elements to achieve a wonderfully distinctive tone."
One Guy's Opinion
Frank Swietek
5/5
"An open house that allows us to enter and freely share in the emotional upheavals of all the characters in this dysfunctional family."
Spirituality and Practice
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
4/4
"Relentless in its condemnation of childish parenting and irresponsibility, Noah Baumbach's uncomfortable
The Squid and the Whale
ranks as one of 2005's best films by pulling no punches whatsoever."
eCinemaCenter.com
Gabe Leibowitz
3/4
"The foundation of any good family drama is interesting characters, and
The Squid and the Whale
is replete with them"
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
'3.5/4'
"The collapse of this nuclear family is peppered with wry humor that nevertheless rubs raw."
Palo Alto Weekly
Jeanne Aufmuth
9/10
"A biting comedy emerges from the truths in the characters' confused actions, brought brilliantly to life by each of the actors."
Window to the Movies
Jeffrey Chen
7/10
"Maybe it's just me, but a big yuck to the affair between Daniels' character and one played by Anna Paquin. You might remember them playing father and daughter 10 years ago in
Fly Away Home
."
Planet Sick-Boy
Jon Popick
9/10
"...Baumbach's most emotionally potent and visually coherent film to date."
All Movie Guide
Josh Ralske
'3.5/5'
"[Jeff Daniels] and the rest of the cast play their roles with uncommon ease."
Film-Forward.com
Kent Turner
A-
"Writing it must have been like giving oneself a root canal on laughing gas...as Bernard would say, 'it's dense.' "
Reeling Reviews
Laura Clifford
"In charting the effects of a divorce on the two adolescent sons of literary parents, Baumbach revisits the time, place, and events of his young adulthood in a manner that is at once sentimental and a little sneering."
Not Coming to a Theater Near You
Leo Goldsmith
2/4
"A fundamentally unrewarding story."
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Maitland McDonagh
B
"A deeply personal and unsparing film,
The Squid and the Whale
finds humor in the heartache and harpoons the notion that divorce has no casualties."
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
Mark Pfeiffer
4/10
"Not much subtlety here. While the film is billed as a comedy and a drama, this story of a childish father spoiling the lives of his family is not a laughing matter."
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Mark R. Leeper
3/4
"A good movie held together in a web of repulsions; a great observation of human behavior"
Movie Habit
Marty Mapes
3.5/5
"There's no Oscar-bait speech where the hero reveals his hidden depths, no happy ending, just the loose ends and ambiguities of real life and real relationships."
Goatdog's Movies
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
B+
"The acid exchanges and inconvenient longings of a dissolving marriage, the exquisite agony of those first flutterings of love and those first earthquakes of lust."
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
Nell Minow
3.5/4
"Baumbach's film substitutes Wes Anderson's ironic preciousness for a more blunt confrontation of its characters' mixed-up, distraught emotions."
Slant Magazine
Nick Schager
4/5
"Baumbach crams an impressive amount of characterization and humor into 82 minutes."
Film Threat
Pete Vonder Haar
4/5
"A complex, bristling film that resonates on many levels without ever overstating its case."
Shadows on the Wall
Rich Cline
B+
"An insightful, unblinking, bittersweet and funny portrait of a family in the process of a bitter divorce."
Laramie Movie Scope
Robert Roten
B+
"
The Squid and the Whale
has a rock solid script with great dialogue and full-bodied characters. Better still, the film has a cast that is top-notch across the board."
Reeling Reviews
Robin Clifford
3/4
"A downer of a comedy, but one that brings out remarkable performances."
Charlotte Weekly
Sean O'Connell
"Has so much going for it -- including intelligent performances that mesh beautifully, and a keen understanding of how seemingly small moments can rattle the foundations of families -- that you walk away from it feeling it should add up to more."
Salon.com
Stephanie Zacharek
3.5/4
"
The Squid and the Whale
represents Baumbach's own coming-of-age as a gifted filmmaker. Put it on your must-see list."
Reel.com
Timothy Knight
4/4
"A scabrous ode to the unmanageable muddle of interpersonal relationships."
Film Freak Central
Walter Chaw
"Click here to see review"
Wolf Entertainment Guide
William Wolf
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OFCS Rating: 92% Fresh
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