Review of Margot at the Wedding (2007) by Chip V — 29 Jan 2009

Gut-wrenchingly funny and sad. Don't think for a second your family is more dysfunctional until you've sen this little indie gem. The story is about family secrets, both real and imagined, and the drama that unfolds when two siblings, never having reconciled their differences, come together one weekend before the aforementioned wedding nuptials.

Nicole Kidman is, as always, wonderful in the title role, as a writer who uses her family traumas to spin her successful stories. Jennifer Jason Leigh, the queen of indie female cut-ups, plays it straight, but ony with the slightest veering off-course.

I normally can't stand Jack Black, but here his presence fits the character he plays, a failed writer clinging to a last shred of normality. Spend time with these fuck-ups: you'll feel better knowing you've been able to survive your own family toxicity.