Review of The Squid and the Whale (2005) by Michael O — 06 Apr 2010

I've just come to terms with Noah Baumbach as a filmmaker so in tune with his own awkward, overtly poignant, go for the stars approach to personal fimmaking that to hate one of his movies is only to hate a side of the man himself.

In this case, his story of mini-Greenberg, I can sympathize with his trials completely. This is a really funny and cleverly made movie in its use of music (the Risky Business score filters in and out), its portrayal of the bizarre birth of a young boy's sexuality, and just a lot of great, naked, dazzlingly honest conversations.

Enjoy every painfully weird moment and be glad that even if it has a hint of truth it can never really be that ridiculous. Or maybe it is. Who knows?