Recent Reviews for Margot at the Wedding
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MCT:July 22, 2008Margot at the wedding is at times beautiful and miserable. Just as you could expect from Noah Baumbach after the squid and the whale. The film uses some specific themes that are very prevalent in the squid in the whale. Baumbach's criticism on pretentious parents is evident once again although not as outright as in the squid in the whale. Baumbach also shows us his understanding of preteen adolescence, and the discovery of sexuality. Margot at the wedding doesn't make as big a deal of it as the squid and the whale but it still stands out. One wonders how many of his own toes he steps on in his films, when you consider the repetition of such themes and also when you see how often he uses writers in his films. out of all the most beautiful characters in the film are by far the younger ones. the wrongs Margot's son recognizes about her and understanding he has with them, and the overall love he has for her make him somewhat more mature than his own mother. Jack Black is
very good in this. While sticking to who he is as an actor he is still capable of doing a role that is pleasantly tangent from his norm. Over all Margot at the wedding is well made, emotional film, with a spectacular soundtrack featuring one of my favorite Karen Dalton songs. even though Margot at the wedding gets somewhat long near the end, and pretty stressful, it keeps a specific level of beauty and humanity that is especially admirable.
I hope that we can expect Baumbach to continue this style of film making as his own trademark, because if he perfects it he will be capable of amazing things. -
MCT:July 16, 2008i loved the way baumbach and savides filmed this, beautiful medium long and following shots intertwined with sharp dialogue...this is one kidman's best performances! -
MCT:July 16, 2008watched this last night, big fan of jack black and his performance was very different to his other movies, but i enjoyed it. the story line goes, Margot and her son Claude go to her sisters house to attend Paulies wedding. Soon as Margot arrives she stirs some shit. She thinks Paulie's fiance 'Malcolm' is not husband material. Very well made, great cinematography. jack black so cute, so sexy and so funny! love it.
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MCT:July 14, 2008The dialog seemed mumbled through. You would expect more from this cast. Squid and the Whale much better.
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MCT:July 14, 2008I didn't really get the point of this movie. It was just a snapshot of two sisters and the people in their lives for that moment. I didn't see a purpose in many of the things in the movie. The previews were decieving. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone.
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MCT:July 14, 2008
Not as good as The Squid and the Whale, but retains the same kind of humor found in a movie full of despicable Characters.
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MCT:July 14, 2008
Another neurotic/fucked up/dysfunctional family. The relationships between the members stretch and stretch but the breaking point seems far away. Maybe in the sequel. Cynic, painful to watch and humourless (Comedy? This? Really?). It had its moments though...
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MCT:July 13, 2008
I guess a lot of people are pooping on this film, but I loved it.
Of course it's quirky, and maybe some people did not recognize or fully appreciate the humor.
See The Squid and the Whale first, and then this. They are similar, but different.
I think Noah Baumbach's films are fun, if you have the right sense of humor. -
MCT:July 11, 2008
I expected more from the guy behind The Squid and the Whale. I appreciate the unformulaic structure, but I hate every character in this film.
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MCT:July 5, 2008
Having just seen The Squid and the Whale, and now Margot at the Wedding, I'm going to start following this Noah Baumbach guy because his writing is really good. Jennifer Jason Leigh, who has 'free spirit' written all over her, was perfectly suited to her role. I was unsure as to whether Nicole Kidman would have the finesse to work with this kind of material, but she did a fine job. I loved how she thought everyone had autism and how she and JJL laughed at how their sister was raped (in the words of Veronica Mars, "Rape humour! It never gets old.") I didn't really like the cinematography - some scenes were almost completely black, and I had no idea what was going on. But other than that, it was an excellent follow-up to TSATW.
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MCT:July 1, 2008
akward. thats sums up the movie. It had so much potential but it seems like characters never developed beyond their dysfunction and dysphoria. There was too much focus on it. I connected with the acts but not the characters. Definitely an original viewing experience that I am not looking to repeat.
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MCT:July 1, 2008
While not as good as the squid and the whale(a personal fave of mine) Baumbachs previous film, Margot at the Wedding is still an interesting take on a dyfunctional family. Very honest, dark and depressing insight into human emotions
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MCT:June 26, 2008
Hay un dolor emocional que permea las obras del director Noah Baumbach (quien hizo la brillante "The Squid and the Whale"). Con "Margot at the Wedding" crea una cinta casi insoportable debido a la agonia y trastorno de sus personajes.
Todo el reparto brinda excepcionales actuaciones (hasta Jack Black, en un rol diferente), aunque la pelicula no es tan poderosa como la anterior.
De todos modos contiene momentos realistas y complejos, que van mas alla de un simple melodrama. "Margot" es otra cinta importante de este talentoso director. -
MCT:June 22, 2008Not a bad story about daring funny and bracingly honest exploration of the tender, absurd and sometimes excruciating relationship between siblings. And the performances from Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh are excellent.
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MCT:June 18, 2008
Noah Baumbach already covered this ground (pity the kids because their parents are crazy) in Baumbach's masterpiece "The Squid and the Whale". I highly recommend"The Squid and the Whale', but not this second rate follow up. Baumbach's latest film relies heavily on the screenplay, which is hit and miss (but mostly miss). Instead of getting characters that we care about in a focused story, we get a rather strange dysfunctional family acting irresponsible in a mostly unfunny way doing mostly random things. I'm hoping Baumbach returns to form in his next effort, but I suggest you pass on this one.
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MCT:June 13, 2008A predictable drama, proving that Noah Baumbach is a normal director, without talent. Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh are great.
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MCT:June 8, 2008
I thought this movie was going to be great by seeing the previews for it. But a lot of previews are like that! Story was slow-moving and not much happened. Acting was great though!
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MCT:June 7, 2008
Now don't get me wrong, the acting in the movie is great. With the positive said: This dark drama connects the viewer with the characters but not in a way that you want to be. Overall it only partially holds interest and tends to stray from the somewhat of a plot regularly. Overall, it's just okay... too dark to be anything great. The ending is real and nice though.
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MCT:June 7, 2008
The characters are alll "mentally" messed up leaving for a story that never goes anywhere in the end. Jack Black's character isn't as funny as most he's done in the past by any means to ease the frustration of the character development.
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MCT:June 6, 2008
Sophisticated but unfocused and often acutely unpleasant; slightly disappointing considering the considerable merit of The Squid and the Whale
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MCT:June 4, 2008
Só depois de assistir Margot at the Wedding que eu soube tratar-se de um filme com direção e roteiro do mesmo homem responsável pelo ótimo The Squid and the Whale. Neste novo trabalho o diretor conta com o mesmo excesso de realismo e franqueza que reinava no filme anterior.
A personagem-título, vivida por Nicole Kidman, é uma escritora de talento que vive uma crise existencial sem se dar conta. Antes de ser confrontada com a realidade, ela se sente na posição de julgar a tudo e a todos. Critica a irmã, o futuro cunhado, os vizinhos e até o próprio filho. A metralhadora giratória não poupa ninguém. Gosto de gente sincera, mas Margot chega a ser cruel.
O filme trata de temas como, por exemplo, podemos ser tão próximos e tão estranhos de pessoas que amamos. No caso de Margot e da irmã Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh), elas dividem uma série de vivências, segredos e mantêm um elo de ligação que apenas podemos nutrir com irmãos. É uma espécie de comunicação e de "sentir" que não precisa de palavras. Mas, ao mesmo tempo, elas viveram histórias e passaram por situações diferentes e que não foram compartilhadas entre as duas e estes episódios fizeram com que se afastassem, e não sabemos até que ponto existe a vontade de proteger ou de competir, até onde vai o amor ou o ódio entre as duas.
Nicole Kidman e Jennifer Jason Leigh estão escandalosamente naturais e perfeitas em seus papéis. Aliás, é o tipo de papel que a Nicole Kidman deveria se limitar.
O que atrapalha o filme são os fracos momentos de picardias e a tentativa do Jack Black em ser versátil, como o Jim Carrey às vezes consegue ser. -
MCT:June 3, 2008
A woman visits her estranged sister at her childhood home for a wedding. Strange film which seemed sort of pointless at times, but was overall interesting. Nicole and Jen play good sisters.
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MCT:June 2, 2008brutal, brutal, BRUTAL ! What a disappointment; I love Jack Black but this movie was a real flop. Not much of a story line. Weird scenes.
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MCT:May 26, 2008
Noah Baumbach is a very hit or miss filmmaker for me. His work on Royal Tannenbaums, brilliant. Mr. Jealousy, abhorrent. Margot at the Wedding exists somewhere in between. Some good scenes do shine through the otherwise mundane atmosphere of this pointless film. The performances all around are noteworthy, and do manage to transcend the material.
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MCT:May 21, 2008
Very well could be 1 star, but Nicole Kidman plays an unlikeable character so well. We all have a Margot in our family and there's so much that could be done with such a character, but this movie just didn't do it. Too choppy and undeveloped like an A cup or something worse.
