Noah Baumbach wrote one of my favorite movies, "The Life Aquatic", directed by Wes Anderson. He also wrote and directed "The Squid and the Whale", which I really need to see.
Now with this astonishing cast of actors Noah Baumbach has written and directed "Margot at the Wedding". I went to the Variety screening on Wilshire last Monday and I was completely drawn in by the story, the cast and the look and feel of the film.
I am always glad when a movie draws me in like this. Here is a story filled with characters from a strangely dysfunctional family that doesn't seem to be headed in a better direction.
There is this situation where a sister is willing to come back into her sisters life after a long silence, but it is truly a way for her to spend time with a man she is having an affair with.
The sisters both feel resentment and alienation from each other, but it seems clear that Margot (Nicole Kidman) has some real problems with her ego and getting along with others. Then as the story unfolds Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is actually planning to marry a man she isn't totally sure about Malcolm (Jack Black) who may or may not be having an affair with the baby-sitter.
The film, very successfully dances between comedy and drama, just as it would if these actors were actually my own family. I guess that's one of the things I like most about it.
The location used for most of the scenes is the house where these girls grew up. There is talk of their parents and a few interesting stories of their roots as very different and special children with an aptitude for outlandish behavior and some pretty serious child abuse.
I'd be interested in seeing a prequel that would explore this family too, but it might take on a completely different genre and really loose that edge of having this fantastic mesh of actors.
Nicole Kidman has been a great actress and won my heart for like the tenth time now, but she is really becoming one of my favorites with films like "The Hours", "Far and Away", "Birth", "The Others" and my personal favorite "To Die For". Her ability to take on such unique characters and really nail you to the wall with a simple look or expression is an example of her skills in the craft of acting.
A great actor named Stefan Marchand just recently brought me a copy of "The Hours" and I am a new fan of an instant classic in the realm of unique for Nicole Kidman.
Jennifer Jason Leigh has astonished us all for years, carefully choosing films that became legendary and working so effortlessly with great actors like Kathy Bates, Christopher Plummer and David Starhairn in "Delores Claiborne", the all star cast and Jennifer's greatest role ever in "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle".
The thing you hear most about these days is actors who are famous get the most offers, but my favorite actors like Jennifer Jason Leigh, Geoffrey Rush, Emma Thompson and Cate Blanchett make each character they play so real, I always have to remind myself who the actor was.
I can't leave out one of the most important characters in this story. Margot's son Claude played with care by Zane Pais. Claude is struggling to understand his mother and her relationship with his aunt Pauline. Along with the theme of the film, he sees through her thick layers of emotional restraint and selfishness to her core and is, in the end, her best friend in the world.
This mother son relationship is maybe the most important piece of the puzzle. The casting for this movie was so perfect. I am sure there will be many nominations associated with "Margot at the Wedding" and many awards deserved.
Make sure to see "Margot at the Wedding". I think most audiences will enjoy it. It is a story about people and relationships. Not only romantic relationships, but family members and the issue of friendships we build among family without realizing how strong and important they can become.
I think having friends in your family and recognizing them as friends is very important in life.
