AFI Fest

Margot at the Wedding

Arclight Cinemas

Saturday, November 3, 2007

You are cordially invited to attend Margot at the Wedding, Noah Baumbach’s follow-up to his highly rated 2005 feature The Squid and the Whale. Heck, you have to attend the Wedding. You see, before you know it, it’s going to be Margot at the Golden Globes, Margot at the Independent Spirit Awards, and yes, even Margot at the Academy Awards. It’s just that strong.

I promise not to compare Margot with The Squid and the Whale too much. It is completely unfair to the film and to all the people involved in the production. However, one of the major criticisms people had with Squid could also be made of this film. Many people felt that Squid’s characters were overtly cruel to one another, and ultimately themselves. I admit that, on my first viewing of that film, I felt the same way. That argument can also be made of Margot (played brilliantly by Nicole Kidman). Noah Baumbach, at a Q&A following the film stated that he doesn’t go out of his way to make his characters unlikable. It’s just how he sees them. However you look at it, as distasteful as some of these characters can be, it still is hard to take your eyes off of them when they command the screen as they do. And for that reason, I highly recommend this film to just about everyone.

Nicole Kidman gives a performance that is so different, subtle, and risky, we are reminded of just why she won the Academy Award in the first place. She is an amazingly talented actress that can, believe it or not, allow you to forget that you are watching a Hollywood A-lister on screen. You will lose yourself in her performance. She is Margot Zeller, body and soul, a writer who often alienates herself from her family while using their private lives as the subjects for her short stories.

Estranged from her family, Margot surprises her sister Pauline (portrayed amazingly by Jennifer Jason Leigh) by accepting the invitation to her upcoming wedding to an unemployed artist Malcolm (Jack Black, playing wonderfully against type).However, within moments of her arrival, Margot’s highly critical eye is fixated on Malcolm and her sister, ultimately causing turmoil within the household. While her writer’s intuition feels vital to her work, it is seen as nothing more than judgmental to the rest of her family. Soon, the tension grows. Margot’s marriage is falling apart. Her relationship with her adolescent son continues to become more and more strained. It soon becomes apparent that Margot can only feel comfortable while surrounded by conflict.

Margot at the Wedding feels deceptively simplistic in its telling. It is as if we are watching a filmed version of one of Margot’s very own short stories. However, there is nothing simple about this tale. Whole scenes resonate with you long after you see them. Your mind continues to dissect character, themes, and meanings while you lie in bed with those few stray minutes before the snooze button wears off.

It stays with you.

So, be certain to RSVP for Margot at the Wedding. It’s an event that I am sure you won’t want to miss.