In association with

The Squid And The Whale [2005]
from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
starring Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, William Baldwin
directed by Noah Baumbach

Features:

• Anamorphic
• Dubbed
• PAL

Editorial Review:

The Squid and the Whale follows the divorce of Joan (Laura Linney, You Can Count on Me) and Bernard Berkman (Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose of Cairo) as it wreaks havoc on the emotional lives of their two sons, Walt (Jesse Eisenberg, Roger Dodger) and Frank (Owen Kline, The Anniversary Party). Though there's no plot in the usual sense, the movie progresses with growing emotional force from the separation into the bitter fighting between Joan and Bernard and the hapless, floundering behaviour of Walt and Frank, who act out through plagiarism, sexual acts and drinking.

Some viewers may find the ending too diffuse; others will appreciate that writer/director Noah Baumbach (Mr. Jealousy) doesn't wrap up the messiness of life in a false cinematic package. Either way, viewers will appreciate how the specificity of the personalities makes The Squid and the Whale so compelling, as Baumbach has drawn the characters with such detail, both engaging and off-putting, that they leap off the screen. Naturally, he's greatly helped by the cast: Linney, Eisenberg, Kline and especially Daniels bite into these often unsympathetic portraits and give fearlessly honest performances, interlocked in both painful and funny ways--rarely have family dynamics been captured so vividly. If there was an ensemble Oscar, this cast would deserve it. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• I was hesitant about watching this
  as the reviews had been excellent and I thought I would be disappointed. I was not. It is very well acted and shows the sadness of divorce on the whole family but there is a little bit of humour to keep you going rather than devle you into the depths of misery.

• I laughed non-stop
  The previous review sums up this film very well. I had never heard this film advertised etc and randomly came across it at a friends house. What luck!!
  So called "comedies" never make me laugh - This film however, is MY idea of a funny movie. It is up there with Sex, Lies and Videotapes and As Good As It Gets in terms of making me laugh. Brilliant cast (especially the older son! ... and Jeff Daniels is hilarious as the self important intellectual dad).
  One brilliant and understated scene follows... more info

• Not Light Entertainment
  I found this film quite deep and at points, quite uncomfortable watching. I felt it painted a real picture of what the two boys went through during their parents divorce from their own perspective more than focusing on the parent's own issues with one another. Both boys seem seriously affected by their parents separation and living different lives in different homes. You really feel for them as they go through the pains of finding out for themselves what to believe in and how to deal with their situation... more info

• amazing.....
  i bought this film the other week (in morrisons for £2.99)and i watched it on my own, the film was moving, although i failed to see the humor, im sure if i watched it again i would see it, ad prehaps understand more of the metaphors involved. i am used to films where they spell out the problems and solve them. so i was shocked to find that alot of he issues addressed such as the disturding behaviour of the youngest son was not solved or even propperly discused, but then it deemed on me that the film... more info

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