Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg

Bernard Berkman, the patriarch of an eccentric Brooklyn family, claims to have been a famous novelist but is now reduced to teaching. His wife Joan discovers a literary talent of her own, and it break...( read more  read more... )s up the family, leaving the two teenage sons, Walt, 16, and Frank, 12, divided between their parents. The wife starts an affair with her younger son's tennis coach, while the husband starts sleeping with a student whom his elder son is courting.

Flixster Users

77% liked it

20,404 ratings

Critics

93% liked it

136 critics

R, 1 hr. 21 min.

Directed by: Noah Baumbach

Release Date: October 5, 2005

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DVD Release Date: March 14, 2006

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Stats: 4,966 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,966)


  • September 29, 2009
    I hate the expression 'Coming of Age' but I guess this is what this film is but it?s not just 'Coming of age' for the young characters, everyone has growing up to do in this very sweet and honest film!
  • June 28, 2009
    Well done movie. awkward. Had hard time enjoying it fully but I suppose it's cause I used to smear semen all over the place myself when I was younger
  • June 13, 2009
    One of the best movies of 2005. Very underrated and not known by most people. Should have won the Original Screenplay award at the Oscars, too. Noah Baumbach created an amazing film, here. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney should also have been nominated for Oscars. This movie just b...( read more)lows me away... it's just amazing!
  • June 5, 2009
    so uncomfortable
  • April 10, 2009
    The Squid and the Whale examines the affects on two young boys after their parents decide to separate. It's a funny, honest and moving film but one that soends too much time echoing it's point. I enjoyed the ways the boys began to echo their parents but a lot of the time it felt ...( read more)very forced and avoided subtlety. The film has a large number of excellent moments, but can't decide how to wrap them all together for a worthy ending. An obviously great performance by Linney and the two youngbmake this worth all 80 minutes.
  • November 8, 2009
    a very honest movie O.o i'm impressed. It felt like a confession.
  • November 7, 2009
    A family dramedy that never quite hit the spot but has a very nice cast (Jeff Daniels never stops to amaze me) and did not overstate its meaning and purpose. Also, it is interesting that the parents were behaving like kids and the opposite. All in all, a well drawn movie with a f...( read more)inely written script.
  • November 1, 2009
    great movie, this is the movie which i believe has a quite complicated depth, this is the type of movie that is not enough to be seen once, i believe im not get the whole idea of this movie yet..
  • October 31, 2009
    just like, the quieter version of American Beauty.,witty and great performance from all the cast !
  • October 28, 2009
    One of Jeff Danieals best performance.

Critic Reviews


December 6, 2005
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The Squid and the Whale is essentially about how we grow up by absorbing what is useful in our parents and forgiving what is not. full review

November 4, 2005
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

It has the messiness of real life, with uncombed hair and unanswered questions. full review

October 13, 2005
Claudia Puig, USA Today

An incisive and intimate tale of a Brooklyn family falling apart as told by the two sons. full review

October 12, 2005
Marcy Dermansky, About.com

Engrosses, entertains and revolts... full review

October 7, 2005
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Without jerking tears or reducing the acid content of his wit, Baumbach's humane movie gets under your skin. full review

October 7, 2005
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Has so much going for it -- including intelligent performances that mesh beautifully, and a keen understanding of how seemingly small moments can rattle the foundations of families -- that you walk aw... full review

October 5, 2005
David Edelstein, Slate

You can look at The Squid and the Whale as the truest kind of artistic coming-of-age story: a cathartic piece of self-criticism. full review

October 5, 2005
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Mining his own chidlhood, Noah Baumbach has put together an unsparing, funny portrait of a family in crisis and a young man trying to figure out his parents and himself.

September 25, 2005
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

Baumbach's film substitutes Wes Anderson's ironic preciousness for a more blunt confrontation of its characters' mixed-up, distraught emotions. full review

View more The Squid and the Whale reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • terris85017
    September 16, 2007
    I hope some of you WILL read this review...and that others of you (who do know me) will STILL continue to like me?? Perhaps I became sooo bored I missed the title reference?? Marine? I expected something marine from the title. Reminds me a little of Bill Murray's Broken Flowers BORED ME IN PARTS (AS CRAIG S. SO APTLY PUT-see BELOW, "..shockingly real performances, but I couldn't grip onto the film because of these self-absorbed characters..") My THOUGHTS? DIVORCE? Why? Does no 1 appreciate each other? respect family? Dad sleeps with son's girlfriend? Again why? OK I DO NOT ADVOCATE ABUSE ORSTD TRANSMISSION thoughtlessly to your partner? Can you still love someone who gives you HIV? 50% divorce rate..could 25 percent occur becuz we are delusional? Personally I have adopted the extreme policy of never sleeping with friends' ex-husbands, co-workers,etc I remain solo (separated from an ex-junkie & cheat for YEARS!!) YET I RESPECT MARRIAGE!! LOL I respect friendsships.....
  • nastienhka
    May 26, 2007
    the laughter hurts.
  • hannebolan
    February 26, 2007
    the movie was a bit weird, but it was really good! :D
  • panchof28
    September 24, 2006
    only 3 stars??? this was the best american movie that came out last year...
  • jerrynation
    June 9, 2006
    How real a movie can be? This express the american family. It was a great and very original screenplay.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Squid and the Whale Trivia


  • Which band or singer did Walt steal his song from in 'The Squid and the Whale'?  Answer »
  • What actress links the movies "The Piano", "25th Hour", "Amistad", "The Squid and the Whale" and "Fly Away Home"?  Answer »
  • In the Squid and the Whale, what does Bernard recommend his son see on his date besides Short Circuit?  Answer »
  • I couldn't bag a buck in Escanaba in Da Moonlight, I dealt with my divorced parents in the Squid and the Whale, I plugged up a toilet in Dumb and Dumber. Who am I?  Answer »

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