Margot at the Wedding

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Moving into a new apartment this week, not taking time off of work, and I still found time to watch a movie. How does he do it?

Well, this is another standard issue indie quirkfest, I liked it more than The Savages (which this is similar to), but I'm still gonna give it a thumbs down. I thought maybe I'd dig it, because I kinda liked The Squid and the Whale, but this just felt like more of the same, only not as good. Baumbach continues to be a less funny Wes Anderson minus the charm and likable characters. It's just too bitter to enjoy. After the first 15 minutes or so, you're tired of being around these people.

To continue with the indie quirkfest comparisons, the movie this most reminded me of was Winter Passing, a middling, typically downer indie comedy/drama with a strong, dramatic cast that is, somehow, completely stolen by Will Ferrell in a funny but realtively subdued and serious role. You're not expecting Will Ferrell to out-drama Ed Harris and Zooey Deschanel. And the same thing happens with Jack Black in Margot at the Wedding. The headliners are Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Lee, and yet somehow his character seems more interesting, more fleshed out. I'm a big Jack Black fan, but it's nice to see him not doing his normal shtick, and actually succeeding in a somewhat dramatic role.