The story of this somewhat bizarre and neurotic family starts with the arrival of Margot (Nicole Kidman) and her son Claude (Zane Pais) for Margot’s sister’s Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh)wedding. From here on in the chaos is unveiled and the family face some tough and uncomfortable situations. This is not a happy film and the director Noah Baumbach strips the family down to reveal its dark undertones and unpleasant dysfunctions. Watching this film can be quite unsettling as the acting, relationships and dialogue is very realistic. To add to the uneasiness and unconventional family is the brilliant use of the hand held camera and the grainy filming. Equally as good as the photography was the acting. Jennifer Jason Leigh was good as always and Nicole Kidman was fantastic, she is back on top of her game in my opinion, it is a shame that this film was not more successful at the box office for her excellent acting skills to be praised again. Jack Black also surprised me. He did not stand out as he does in his normal films; instead he blended in to this quiet film with an understated performance. This film is very intelligent and I failed to understand all the metaphors presented. However, I did enjoy this film (as much as it can be ‘enjoyed’ because it is very dark and not a comfortable or happy film.) Steer away from it if you want to be uplifted or cheered up, but I definitely recommend it if you want to experience raw emotion and uncomfortable family life.
This is a very good follow up film from Noah Baumback, and if you enjoyed 'The Squid And The Whale' the this is very similar in tone. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nicole kidman were both excellent, though Jack Black really seemed way out of his depth and the film really highlights the fact that the only character Jack Black can play is Jack Black. Black's shakey performance aside, the film is a terrific look at the relationship between two very different sisters, one an easy going family woman and the other an arrogant, narcissistic and selfish mother who puts her own needs far above her own family. 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 then this is well worth a rental.
I was drawn to this film by the trailer as some of the characters seemed mildly autistic. Still think that's true, but this aspect of character isn't explicitly developed in the film, even though it is about characters who either don't get or ignore the rules of social/family interactions. Not bad, but didn't interest me, and it's certainly not a 'comedy' as described.