I watched Margot at the Wedding on 06.12.12 on Netflix instant. This is one that I had seen before and liked quite well. I should warn that this film contains more than one sexually explicit moment. Whether I should or not, I don't worry too much about this. There is only brief nudity and it is about half male, half female.
That out of the way, I think it interesting to mention that my rating did not change during the two or three years, at least, since I saw it first. I am certainly affected by my previous ratings, but I often violently disagree with my former self. The quality of the movie is such that it doesn't seem to age at all, but we'll see how it looks in twenty.
Writing-wise it is worthy of Noah Baumbach. Life Aquatic is one of my personal favorites, but I have yet to be awed by any of his writer/director work besides MatW.
I feel the need to break down the acting. Nicole Kidman is one of my favorite actresses of this era and her independent stuff is bursting with treasures like Rabbit Hole and Birthday Girl. This is not among the best, but that is most definitely not an insult.
Jack Black is a stand out for me, because he is so rarely this good and this focused. I love Orange County and Nacho Libre, but he's walking too close to the Adam Sandler line, the comedic point of rare return. This is the best acting I've seen Jack Black do. He is hilarious and heart-breaking, often simultaneously.
Jennifer Jason Leigh is good and consistent as always, though she may stand out more here than elsewhere, with the exception of The Machinist.
John Turturro, despite a late entrance, gave a quality bit part and really opened the depth of the movie and cleared any barriers to an honest critique of Nicole's character.
The kids, most especially Zane Pais, who plays Nicole's son Claude, are quite good, but understated, as Noah tends to write them. Zane has, according to IMDb, never been in any other movies, which shocks me honestly.
My rating was 9, 8.5, 8.5, 26. The 9 seems to have been previously explained. Good acting and writing, but not something th break the bank over. It fit in with Mammoth or the Man with the Golden Arm, but fell short of a classic like Malcolm X.
The wisdom is heavily entwined with the ending, but I can hint. I believe it ended believably and well. Noah shows us a messed up world, but intimates he knows it's not right either. Dysfunction is not the ideal, even if it is the norm. Any skepticism I had about Noah's intended message kept it below Man with the Golden Arm's preachy anti-drug stance, but it definitely was not far behind.
The wonder is not low, but he doesn't venture outside the mundane except for some interesting cutting. Baumbach's characteristic attention to music is much missed. It stood clear over Mean Creek and Max, but it fell a bit short of a high 8.5 like Mammoth.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film and felt it was thoughtful and opened up to the second viewing.
That out of the way, I think it interesting to mention that my rating did not change during the two or three years, at least, since I saw it first. I am certainly affected by my previous ratings, but I often violently disagree with my former self. The quality of the movie is such that it doesn't seem to age at all, but we'll see how it looks in twenty.
Writing-wise it is worthy of Noah Baumbach. Life Aquatic is one of my personal favorites, but I have yet to be awed by any of his writer/director work besides MatW.
I feel the need to break down the acting. Nicole Kidman is one of my favorite actresses of this era and her independent stuff is bursting with treasures like Rabbit Hole and Birthday Girl. This is not among the best, but that is most definitely not an insult.
Jack Black is a stand out for me, because he is so rarely this good and this focused. I love Orange County and Nacho Libre, but he's walking too close to the Adam Sandler line, the comedic point of rare return. This is the best acting I've seen Jack Black do. He is hilarious and heart-breaking, often simultaneously.
Jennifer Jason Leigh is good and consistent as always, though she may stand out more here than elsewhere, with the exception of The Machinist.
John Turturro, despite a late entrance, gave a quality bit part and really opened the depth of the movie and cleared any barriers to an honest critique of Nicole's character.
The kids, most especially Zane Pais, who plays Nicole's son Claude, are quite good, but understated, as Noah tends to write them. Zane has, according to IMDb, never been in any other movies, which shocks me honestly.
My rating was 9, 8.5, 8.5, 26. The 9 seems to have been previously explained. Good acting and writing, but not something th break the bank over. It fit in with Mammoth or the Man with the Golden Arm, but fell short of a classic like Malcolm X.
The wisdom is heavily entwined with the ending, but I can hint. I believe it ended believably and well. Noah shows us a messed up world, but intimates he knows it's not right either. Dysfunction is not the ideal, even if it is the norm. Any skepticism I had about Noah's intended message kept it below Man with the Golden Arm's preachy anti-drug stance, but it definitely was not far behind.
The wonder is not low, but he doesn't venture outside the mundane except for some interesting cutting. Baumbach's characteristic attention to music is much missed. It stood clear over Mean Creek and Max, but it fell a bit short of a high 8.5 like Mammoth.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film and felt it was thoughtful and opened up to the second viewing.
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