Review of The Squid and the Whale (2005) by Tom F — 08 Apr 2010

The Squid and the Whale is a movie about ordinary things; beneath the complexity of the characters and their dysfunctional relationships lies something extremely simplistic. It is about simple tastes and desires, complicated by an unhealthy need for impossible sophistication. The brilliant construction of characters and family dynamics is the heart and soul of the movie, displaying both the simple and the complicated.

One of the most engaging aspects of the Squid and the Whale is the accessibility of its core themes; rejection, issues of inferiority and teen angst are all dealt with, something most viewers will connect with on some level.

The shining star of this movie is undoubtedly Jeff Daniels's performance as Bernard. Viewers may find it difficult to sympathize with the deluded Bernard, not only oblivious to the damaging effects of his need to constantly prove his intellectualism, but also so flippantly arrogant he believes Kafka to be one of his predecessors. Despite his sense of self-importance, Daniels brings a vulnerability to the role; there is an underlying suspicion that his divorce from wife Joan (Laura Linney) may have less to do with her affair and more to do with the fact her book has been published whilst he receives rejection letters. Once again, something simple lies beneath Bernard's obsession with the high-brow; some of the best laughs come from his inherent cheapness (allowing his son's date to pay for dinner) and his falling out with his agent over 'disparaging remarks about the Nicks'.

Though all of this may seem humorous and invertly smug, there are serious points to be made here, particularly regarding the effect's that Bernard's attitudes and divorce have on his children.

The effects range from the bizarre, as youngest son Frank (Owen Kline) embarks on a masturbating and semen spreading rampage, to the devious, as eldest son Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) cheats his way to artistic credibility.

At the core of these issues lies a complication over basic needs; Bernard's snobbishness betrays his children's social skills and emotions, interfering in such rites of passage such as the losing of virginity and filling their lives with a focus on meticulous detail.

The Squid and the Whale is inherently a very funny film, and though there is a sadness within the story, viewers will take solace is the assumption that Bernard will be revealed as a fraud at some point.

This is not just a film about simple pleasures, it is a simple pleasure itself.