The Squid and the Whale
2005
****½
Director: Noah Baumbach
Cast: Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, William Baldwin, Halley Feiffer, Anna Paquin, Alexandra Daddario, Eli Gelb, Henry Glovinsky, Adam Rose, Benjamin Smolen
In 1986 Brooklyn, the Berkman family is thrown into turmoil when the parents announce their separation. Bernard is a pretentious, self-absorbed writer-cum-teacher who is about to be literarily upstaged by his unfaithful wife Joan. The allegiances of their two teenage sons, Walt and Frank, are divided, and they react to the break-up in sharply different ways. Noah Baumbach's wonderfully subtle, nuanced, and poignant autobiographical comedy-drama explores the profound effects of divorce on both parents and children. While all the performances are first-rate, Jeff Daniels is a particular standout.
