You know what I like more than a good movie? A good movie that's also a hidden gem. I mean we all agree that watching Pulp Fiction is awesome or that The Godfather is remarkable but I get the biggest pleasure out of discovering an amazing movie that barely anyone knows about. Tonight it happened again with Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale.
I know, I know, it's not really a hidden gem, it got rave reviews back in 2005, played at several renowned festivals, even went on to be nominated for an Academy Award. But who actually saw it? Right!? Anyways, I had the pleasure of watching it and I don't regret it at all.
The movie is about a couple who is getting divorced and how they and their two sons deal with the new situation. Sounds rather thin for a plot. But the devil is in the details, or in this case, the acting. I actually don't know where to start, everyone in the ensemble is outstanding. Jeff Daniels is the intellectual douche bag Dad who is an often hilarious and strangely touching character while Jesse Eisenberg as his oldest son proves why he is considered one of the best actors of his generation. I mean, if a movie can make William Baldwin look like a decent actor then you know you are dealing with something special.
Luckily the film doesn't have the heavy handedness one might expect when it comes to a serious topic like divorce but a rather casual tone that, weirdly, allows some comedic highlights, I found myself cracking up quite often.
So is there anything not to like with all the Indie quirkiness around? As with one of Baumbach's other movies, Greenberg, I felt somehow unsatisfied in the end. I know this is not the sort of film that intends to give you the warm and fuzzy Happy End feeling that the average audience is craving for but there are some parts of the plot that seem to be just forgotten about.
Nevertheless, if you're looking for an unusual comedy or are tired of another Adam Sandler idiot fest then you should go and see The Squid and the Whale, it's great.
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