Noah Baumbach

A fun movie for those out there in lt.com-land since both the mother and father of this satiric true tale are published authors and their oldest son is a song lyric plagiarizer. The husband, played by Jeff Daniels, is a professor whose books once meant something to a certain collegiate high brow crowd, but of late can't find a publisher for his latest tome. His wife, meanwhile, played exquisitely by Laura Linney, has just gotten her first piece published by The New Yorker. She's on the rise, show more he's on the descent, and so the inevitable separation ensues. I particularly loved the oldest son's mimickry of his father's literary pretensions. Take, for example, his discussion of "The Metamorphosis," with his soon-to-be girlfriend, who's just stated how much she liked it. The oldest son (I'm sorry, I forgot his name and don't feel like looking it up in imdb) replies to her, "yes, it was very Kafkaesque." His soon-to-be girlfriend shrugs and says something like, well, yeah, Franz Kafka wrote it, and the oldest son nods his head awkwardly in agreement. That the oldest son has heard his pretentious literary-minded Pop brandish about the term "Kafkaesque" in speaking about such-and-such a novel is obvious, and even more obvious is that the oldest son has no idea at all what "Kafkaesque" means. He acts out the pain of his parents separation by then performing on his school's stage a song he says he wrote called "Comfortably Numb". His parents are awed by its lyrical insight and his school performance is praised....until....some Pink Floyd aficionados at the high school ratted him out to the principal, and his parents are called into the office, and his parents, his father, in particular, must face the fact that his son is not a musical genius after all. An overrall wonderful depiction of parent writers and their overly-intellectualized marital dysfunctions, professional jealousies, adulteries (Jeff Daniels getting caught by his oldest son as he urges a grad student, played sultrily by Anna Paquin, to "take me in your mouth") and betrayals, and the rediculously divisive impact their separation has on their children as the oldest sides and lives with his dad while the younger chooses to live with his mother. Not as dark as, say, "Kramer v. Kramer," -- there's just too much humor in "The Squid and the Whale" to put it in that league -- but the conflict at times, is as acidic and beautifully blunt. If you're into movies about writers, check it out. show less

I did not have high hopes for this movie when it was first announced since I've always found Anderson to be a very hit and miss filmmaker. I was happy to find that Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of the hits, although I think it tries a little too hard to be quirky and clever. The stop-motion animation and color palette give the film a distinctive look, and the voice talent is top-notch. It's not quite as good as the book, but it's an adaptation that does get it right.

Expanding the story of Roald Dahl, Mr. Fox steals from and then must escape the wrath of Farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. The first thing viewers will notice about this film is the beautiful stop motion animation. A very autumn-like color palette sets the mood, while the slightly jerky movement of the detailed furry animals enhances it. The madcap action and some of Dahl's humor make this enjoyable for children, but director Wes Anderson adds his trademark dark comedy in the form of the show more dysfunctions of the Fox family and cousin Kristofferson, which will probably fly over younger viewers. Also, the use of the word "cuss" in the place of any type of swearing is a brilliant comedic move that ups the age of true appreciation for the film. A classic humorous tale combines with beautifully odd animation and a new layer of family interaction to make a wonderful film for older viewers. show less

B (Good).

I went in expecting a comedy, and was disappointed by how underwhelming the humor was. I guess if you go in expecting a whimsical drama, it might seem better. I mean, it's a good movie, but it's not mind-blowing.

(Dec. 2023)