Cast: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black

Director: Noah Baumbach

Screenplay: Noah Baumbach

Genre: Drama/Indie

Running time: 1 hr 33 mins



CRITIQUE:


With the sheer hard-hitting brilliance of Noah Baumbach’s superb debut THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, which earned him an Oscar nom, it’s tough not to attach expectations for the follow-up. What we get with MARGOT AT THE WEDDING is almost a replica concept-wise, except that the parents of THE SQUID AND THE WHALE are nowhere to be seen, and the siblings are two sisters. With this, Baumbach might unconsciously leave his imprint for dysfunctional family films the way M. Night Shyamalan does for twisteroos, or Hitchcock for suspense in that matter. It tackles disturbed familial relationships, painful memories and dysfunctional situations, a whole sphere of subjects that has been tackled before. It can be acerbic, painful, dry-witted, and oftentimes funny – but it never delivers that sharp, edgy impact that THE SQUID AND THE WHALE brought with brute, realistic force.


Baumbach focuses the tale to sisterhood, the rivalries and the bitter emotions underlying smiley faces. Freshly devastated from relationship and failed novelist, the titular Margot visits her sister Pauline with her son for her wedding. One major problem: Margot loathes the idea of having her sister being wed to a po-faced scumbag-looking loser, played by Jack Black. From this, memories are uprooted from a distant past to threat the present prospect of wedding. If you’re looking for a romantic comedy, this is not it and weddings are not the indication for romantic comedies anyway. Here, everything is in acid temper; the almost sepia-toned look of the film gives it a dull, lifeless meaning, perfectly combining with the subject matter’s troubled atmosphere.


The best facet in the film, meanwhile, is its performances by the well-cast actors. Nicole Kidman is pitch-perfect as the titular Margot, a resolute, selfish, despicable scum of a human being, tainted with flaws and bitter resentment to her own life without having the strength to admit her own failures, hence making everybody’s life around her a misery. Jennifer Jason Leigh is almost equally superb as the more flighty sister Pauline. Jack Black, on the other hand, albeit a good choice for the role, tries more drama than comedy, achieves a certain success yet still doesn’t quite pin down away from his comfort zone.



VERDICT:

The talents are oozing from this, director’s craft and actors’ performances are excellent, most notably Kidman’s caricature of the impenetrable Margot. But it’s more like an observation rather than a solid execution.



RATING: B