Review of The Squid and the Whale (2005) by Joey D — 02 May 2009

I was having a conversation about movies with a friend one day. We were discussing why exactly people saw movies. It was my friend's opinion that people watch films to get away from the everyday life and that when the "bad ending" shows up during a flick that you're watching, it ruins the entire experience. That's not to say that there can't be movies with bad endings, it's just that people go to see flicks to escape their already overly dramatic lives. I might not agree with his opinion on bad endings, but to an extent, he's right. Deep down, no matter how elitist your taste in film is, you know that a movie that takes you out of the ordinary and ends unrealistically happy puts a smile on your soul. "The Squid and the Whale," however, is not one of those movies. It's a painfully realistic tale of two boys coping with the divorce of their two parents. While parents are already crazy in each and every respect (it's in the job description), their two parents are writers, and one is played by Jeff Daniels. Regardless of the film's subject matter, this very well might be the funniest Jeff Daniels has ever been. Yes, I'd even say he's funnier in this than "Dumb and Dumber." However, it's not the same type of funny. It's almost believable as to just how amazingly shallow Daniels is in his character's unflinching belief in his depth. Jesse Eisenberg also does a swell job as the older sibling trying to get grips on his want for his father's approval. However, it's Owen Kline that steals the show in just about every scene he's in. It's a shame that about three quarters through the movie, his character is all but an afterthought. One of the most interesting aspects to this movie is his character's need to, umm...."mark his territory" on lockers and books in the school library. And when he starts drinking beer (he's about ten years old or so in the movie), it's priceless. There are many great scenes, especially towards the first of the film. However, it does start to slip towards the end, turning what could have been a great film on childhood and dealing with the separation of one's parents into merely a good film about childhood with a few great moments.

Overall, this is not a movie that will allow you to escape the realities of the world. It will, in fact, amplify those feelings that we do not always like looking at. Even with the artsy-fartsy nature of the movie, it is still enjoyable. It is even funny most of the time, but not the Judd Apatow kind of funny we've gotten used to. If you're looking for a movie that will get you to think just a little more about the world you live in and (possibly) make you laugh, you should still question yourself about seeing this movie. I highly enjoyed it, but it's not for everyone. But, if you can't find your copy of "The Dark Knight" floating around to see for the 87th time, this will do quite nicely.