Follows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.Follows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.Follows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
83K
YOUR RATING
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 23 wins & 49 nominations total
Videos3
- Director
- Writer
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
In 1986, In Brooklyn, New York, the dysfunctional family of pseudo intellectuals composed by the university professor Bernard and the prominent writer Joan split. Bernard is a selfish, cheap and jealous decadent writer that rationalizes every attitude in his family and life and does not accept "philistines" - people that do not read books or watch movies, while the unfaithful Joan is growing as a writer and has no problems with "philistines". Their sons, the teenager Walt and the boy Frank, feel the separation and take side: Walt stays with Bernard, and Frank with Joan, and both are affected with abnormal behaviors. Frank drinks booze and smears with sperm the books in the library and a locker in the dress room of his school. The messed-up and insecure Walt uses Roger Water's song "Hey You" in a festival as if it was of his own, and breaks up with his girlfriend Sophie. Meanwhile Joan has an affair with Frank's tennis teacher Ivan and Bernard with his student Lili. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Taglines
- Joint Custody Blows.
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic dialogue and language
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough the movie is heavily autobiographical, director and writer Noah Baumbach said he never pretended to have written "Hey You" by Pink Floyd for a school contest. In reality, a friend of his did it with a song by The Who. Baumbach borrowed the story because it felt so much like something that could've come from his childhood.
- GoofsWhen the Berkmans are speaking to Walt's teacher about his plagiarism of the song "Hey You" by Pink Floyd during his performance during the talent show, there is a poster behind the teacher promoting reading featuring the WWE wrestler Hurricane (Shane Helms) who made his WWE debut in 2001. He was only 12 in 1986.
- Quotes
Bernard Berkman: What is it about high school, you read all the worst books by good writers.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards 2006 (2006)
- SoundtracksHey You
Written by Roger Waters
Performed by Pink Floyd
Courtesy of EMI Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music
Top review
depressingly refreshing
More acutely than I've experienced in a long time, this film captures the process of personality inheritance within families. The interaction/influence between Bernard and Walt is almost painful to watch at times, but it's completely rich. Beyond just that father/son dynamic, the story is so poignant without ever getting sappy - a true accomplishment for a family drama involving divorce. Nothing hits you over the head. Nothing seems too forced. While there's plenty of confusion, discomfort, and alienation, a sense of love shines through, and I couldn't help but get attached to all of the characters. I recommend this film unconditionally.
helpful•9230
- gdsoul
- Nov 8, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Mürekkep Balığı ve Balina
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $7,372,734
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $129,844
- Oct 9, 2005
- Gross worldwide
- $11,098,131
- Runtime1 hour 21 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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