The Squid and the Whale (2005)

Follows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

Director:

Noah Baumbach

Writer:

Noah Baumbach

Stars:

Owen Kline, Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 23 wins & 47 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Owen Kline	...	Frank Berkman
Jeff Daniels	...	Bernard Berkman
Laura Linney	...	Joan Berkman
Jesse Eisenberg	...	Walt Berkman
William Baldwin	...	Ivan
David Benger	...	Carl
Anna Paquin	...	Lili
Molly Barton	...	Graduate Student
Bo Berkman	...	Graduate Student
Matthew Kaplan	...	Graduate Student
Simon Kaplan	...	Graduate Student
Matthew Kirsch	...	Graduate Student
Daniella Markowicz	...	Graduate Student
Elizabeth Meriwether	...	Graduate Student
Ben Schrank	...	Graduate Student

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.

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Plot Keywords:

divorce | adultery | writer | joint custody | infidelity | 

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Taglines:

Joint Custody Blows.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic dialogue and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Squid and the Whale

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$279,938, 14 October 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$7,362,100, 19 March 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Films, Sony Pictures International, Destination Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min 88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The budget for the film was around $1,500,000, down from the original budget of around $7,000,000.

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Goofs

Bernie's car has a Statue of Liberty license plate, which didn't start appearing until 1986. But his car's registration says 1986 on it, which means it was issued in 1984, so it should have the older blue-on-yellow license plate.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Frank Berkman: Mom and me versus you and Dad.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits include this dedication: "For Mannie".

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Connections

References The Wild Child (1970)

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Soundtracks

Bright New Year
Written and Performed by Bert Jansch
Courtesy of Sanctuary Records Group

User Reviews

Brilliant and Awkward and Everything in Between

Not being a child from a product of divorce, after seeing this movie I can appreciate the push and pull that manifests from divorce. Now, I am positive that not all broken homes are this broken, but Noah Baumbauch creates an environment that makes you squirm and want to cry all at the same time. All of the performances are near perfection and are executed with utmost conviction. I find that Jeff Daniels is one of those actors who get better with every movie he does. He is completely unlikeable in this movie yet you feel for him and you want him to get it together. Very few actors can play a prick and yet you are rooting for him and there are a few points in the film where you even buy into his bullshit as much as his oldest son (played by Jesse Eisenberg) does. The Squid and The Whale is not the most uplifting of fare, but it is a must view for anybody who appreciates film, not movies, film.