Kicking and Screaming (1995)

Following graduation, a handful of college students do nothing and talk about it wittily.

Director:

Noah Baumbach

Writers:

Noah Baumbach (story), Oliver Berkman (story)

Stars:

Josh Hamilton, Eric Stoltz, Samuel Gould

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Josh Hamilton	...	Grover
Samuel Gould	...	Pete (as Sam Gould)
Catherine Kellner	...	Gail
Jonathan Baumbach	...	Professor
John Lehr	...	Louis
Olivia d'Abo	...	Jane
Peter Czernin	...	Lester
Carlos Jacott	...	Otis
Chris Eigeman	...	Max
Eric Stoltz	...	Chet
Eliza Roberts	...	Josselyn
Jason Wiles	...	Skippy
Parker Posey	...	Miami
Christopher Reed	...	Friedrich (as Chris Reed)
Noah Baumbach	...	Danny

Storyline

After college graduation, Grover's girlfriend Jane tells him she's moving to Prague to study writing. Grover declines to accompany her, deciding instead to move in with several friends, all of whom can't quite work up the inertia to escape their university's pull. Nobody wants to make any big decisions that would radically alter his life, yet none of them wants to end up like Chet, the professional student who tends bar and is in his tenth year of university studies.

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Plot Keywords:

slacker | beer drinking | independent film | college | writing | 

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Taglines:

Anxiety loves company.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, and some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 October 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Desmoi filias

Filming Locations:

Occidental College -1600 Campus Road, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$704,543 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Trimark Pictures, Castleberg Productions, Sandollar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was almost accepted in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, but Noah Baumbach refused to cut fifteen minutes as they requested, and the film was ultimately rejected.

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Goofs

At the airport, when Grover says, "Shit, I wish I hadn't seen that", his mark is clearly visible on the floor when he walks away.

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Quotes

Max: Are you wearing mascara?
Otis: No... yes.

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Connections

References Terms of Endearment (1983)

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Soundtracks

Don't Let's Start
Written by John Linnell and John Flansburgh
Performed by They Might Be Giants

User Reviews

esoterica

This is an all-time favorite. Not just for the nuanced performances and witty banter, but because my particular group of friends my senior year of college bore striking resemblances to the "hawks" (or "cougars" or whatever the hell Skippy wants to call the group). One of our girlfriends actually made the comment, "you guys all talk the same."

So I can understand why some may pass this film over, but since the action and dialogue hit so close to home, I have to love this movie. It gets better with repeated viewings and the writing, acting, and chemistry are spotless. At times I felt like this movie was made just for me. And that's a comforting feeling. I can tell that Baumbach felt a lot of the same things I did in college - Max's speech at the Hole comes to mind, as well as the writing class scene, and especially, "I'm Max Belmont, I do nothing."

Fortunately, it's SUCH a well-made film. So much goes on in the corners - the renaissance festival guys, the conversations on top of conversations, Grover's dad on the phone talking about Riley's marriage.

It's a great movie that deserves to be seen. Even if you're not a hopeless postgrad loser.