Nothing to Like: Margot at the Wedding

Margot at the Wedding
Directed by Noah Baumbach
Released November 16, 2007

Every one of the characters in Noah Baumbach's follow-up to "The Squid and the Whale" are so inherently dispecable and unlikeable. Unlike the negative, manipulative parents in "The Squid and the Whale", Nicole Kidman's Margot constantly insults her son for no reason to the point where it feels like we the audience are being berated for not being impressed by Margot's cruelty. It is hard to like any of the other characters, even though we would be hard pressed not to side with them against the vicious Margot. This also pales in comparison to "The Squid and the Whale" as far as the child actors go - they were so great in the former film but here are less than impressive (save for "Squid" import Halley Feiffer, who has altogether too much energy for this film in relation to her castmates). For all the buzz surrounding her performance, Jennifer Jason Leigh really has little to work with as Margot's engaged sister. The lackluster script is poorly complemented by a truly dreadful performance from Jack Black. He is trying so hard to be serious despite clearly being comic relief, and it is painful to see him attempt to cry in some of his more dramatic moments. Supporting actors Ciaran Hinds and John Turturro seem much better suited in period dramas, and in any case their roles here are not stellar. Kidman does nothing to elevate Margot to a position of supreme bitch, but also fails to make her remotely sympathetic. That is sadly the case for the entire film; there is no one with whom to sympathize.

C-