"Margot at the Wedding" ** 1\2 (out of ****)
Noah Baumbach's "Margot at the Wedding" is a difficult film to watch and in many ways an unnecessary one. Much of the terriority covered in "Margot at the Wedding" was addressed in Baumbach's previous film, "The Squid and the Whale".
"Margot at the Wedding" revolves around a dysfunctional family. Margot (Nicole Kidman) along with her son, Claude (Zane Pais) are going to attend her sister's, Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) wedding. The two sister have not spoken for some time. Why is not exactly explained. Though, seeing the two sisters together, it is not difficult to see why these two women do not get along.
And that's really what is wrong with this film. The characters are not likeable at all. The viewer feels extremely uncomfortable watching these people on-screen. There is an ugliness to their behavior. We have nothing to connect to. There is no emotional investment.
Now, of course a film can be made dealing with unlikeable characters, but usually, somewhere along the way the viewer finds themself involved in the story. With "Margot at the Wedding" I never really cared what would happen to these people.
Every character in this film seems out to hurt someone. As soon as Margot and Pauline meet, Margot insults Pauline's fiance, Malcolm (Jack Black). Then Margot proceeds to insult the way Pauline's place looks. And it just gets worst from there.
Noah Baumbach's "Margot at the Wedding" is a difficult film to watch and in many ways an unnecessary one. Much of the terriority covered in "Margot at the Wedding" was addressed in Baumbach's previous film, "The Squid and the Whale".
"Margot at the Wedding" revolves around a dysfunctional family. Margot (Nicole Kidman) along with her son, Claude (Zane Pais) are going to attend her sister's, Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) wedding. The two sister have not spoken for some time. Why is not exactly explained. Though, seeing the two sisters together, it is not difficult to see why these two women do not get along.
And that's really what is wrong with this film. The characters are not likeable at all. The viewer feels extremely uncomfortable watching these people on-screen. There is an ugliness to their behavior. We have nothing to connect to. There is no emotional investment.
Now, of course a film can be made dealing with unlikeable characters, but usually, somewhere along the way the viewer finds themself involved in the story. With "Margot at the Wedding" I never really cared what would happen to these people.
Every character in this film seems out to hurt someone. As soon as Margot and Pauline meet, Margot insults Pauline's fiance, Malcolm (Jack Black). Then Margot proceeds to insult the way Pauline's place looks. And it just gets worst from there.
It is revealed Margot and her husband, Jim (John Turturro) have fallen on hard times. Margot is having an affair with Dick (Ciaran Hinds). She has a werid relationship with her son. She is very critical of him one moment and nice to him the next. Malcolm has a wondering eye. And Pauline seems like a child, always trying to look on the bright side, but really wants to embarrass and emotionally hurt Margot.
It could be assumed when watching a film such as this that Baumbach is showing us something real. He is not dealing with cliche Hollywood types. We should be able to relate to these people. But we don't! These characters do not seem real. They seem more fake than characters in a big budget Hollywood film.
Nicole Kidman is quite an actress. She has the ability to shift projects, doing an intimate film such as this or "Fur" or a Hollywood film like "The Invasion". Her work is always rewarding to watch, as she is one of our best actresses to date. I suppose Kidman does what she can with this character. In some ways she is the most interesting but, compared to this group, that sentence isn't really a compliment.
Jack Black proves once again, as he did in "King Kong" that he should stay away from semi-serious roles. They just don't work for him. He has no range as an actor. He should stick to his comedic roles and call it a day. He is not believeable. I don't say that because I'm use to seeing him in one type of role but because he doesn't have the ability to lose himself in a role and convince himself he is more than Jack Black the comic.
But to write such things about a Noah Baumbach script is surprising. If you've seen "The Squid and the Whale" you wonder how things could have gone so wrong. In "The Squid and the Whale" the characters were alive. The film was vibrant. We could relate to the characters. The situations presented in the film seemed to mirror real life. In "Margot at the Wedding" Baumbach seemed to have recycled many of the themes from the previous film but avoided adding any human element.
The film does however have its fans. Much praise has been thown at Jennifer Jason Leigh. She was nominated for best supporting actress at the Independent Spirit Awards and at the Chicago Film Critics Association. But, since when have I ever agreed with award shows?
It could be assumed when watching a film such as this that Baumbach is showing us something real. He is not dealing with cliche Hollywood types. We should be able to relate to these people. But we don't! These characters do not seem real. They seem more fake than characters in a big budget Hollywood film.
Nicole Kidman is quite an actress. She has the ability to shift projects, doing an intimate film such as this or "Fur" or a Hollywood film like "The Invasion". Her work is always rewarding to watch, as she is one of our best actresses to date. I suppose Kidman does what she can with this character. In some ways she is the most interesting but, compared to this group, that sentence isn't really a compliment.
Jack Black proves once again, as he did in "King Kong" that he should stay away from semi-serious roles. They just don't work for him. He has no range as an actor. He should stick to his comedic roles and call it a day. He is not believeable. I don't say that because I'm use to seeing him in one type of role but because he doesn't have the ability to lose himself in a role and convince himself he is more than Jack Black the comic.
But to write such things about a Noah Baumbach script is surprising. If you've seen "The Squid and the Whale" you wonder how things could have gone so wrong. In "The Squid and the Whale" the characters were alive. The film was vibrant. We could relate to the characters. The situations presented in the film seemed to mirror real life. In "Margot at the Wedding" Baumbach seemed to have recycled many of the themes from the previous film but avoided adding any human element.
The film does however have its fans. Much praise has been thown at Jennifer Jason Leigh. She was nominated for best supporting actress at the Independent Spirit Awards and at the Chicago Film Critics Association. But, since when have I ever agreed with award shows?
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