Review of The Squid and the Whale (2005) by Jacob M — 20 May 2013

The Squid and the Whale is in fact, an honest look at the effects of divorce on a family, but the question is, is it a good one? I went into this one with very high expectations from reading the reviews and just the subject matter is one that I enjoy in a movie, and sadly it did not reach them. I'm not saying that this is a bad movie to any extent, I'm just saying that it didn't reach it's full potential.

The story is great and in a way heartbreaking, but the way that the filmmakers portrayed it was the problem I had. Movies with subjects like this are very hard to make realistically, unless you've actually been through it. How would these people respond to the events that are happening in the story? I come from a stable family with very little problems so maybe it was that I just couldn't relate, but I just have this problem with this movie that I can't shake.

The Squid and the Whale is a good movie and I don't know if it's just me, but I just can't give this movie anymore than a 3/5. Maybe it was too high of expectations, maybe it wasn't the best movie ever, or maybe I just couldn't relate. If it is that last one, this movie deserves less because a good movie should be able to grab you and have you relate to the characters no matter your background. This one just didn't do that.