Review of The Squid and the Whale (2005) by Reuben C — 22 Mar 2010

Let me just throw this out there. The Squid and the Whale is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. Its piercing look at how a family responds to divorce is captivating throughout the entire film. Its characters are brilliantly crafted caricatures of modern people. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney play the warring parents beautifully, and Jesse Eisenberg gives his breakthrough performance as their haunted teenage son. Stephen Baldwin is solid in a supporting role, as well.

What I loved about this movie is how it forces you to choose a side, either the mother or the father, just as the kids do, and then by the end of the movie, you've questioned your choice to no end. This definitely makes you realize that there really is no correct choice, and that these are both really terrible people.

I also appreciate that the kids do get a lot of focus on them, and they aren't simply treated as props in this battle between their parents. Both of them show personality defects as results of their unsteady home life. Director Noah Baumbach, who himself came from a broken home, does a great job of showing how terrible divorce is for the kids involved.

I really have trouble finding flaws in this movie. Beautifully directed, brilliantly acted, seamlessly written, the Squid and the Whale should be regarded as a masterpiece by anybody who calls themselves a scholar of film.