"Margot at the Wedding"

Seen on: January 5, 2008

The players: Director: Noah Baumbach, Writer: Noah Baumbach, Cast: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black, John Turturro, Flora Cross

Facts of interest: Noah Baumbach also directed "The Squid and the Whale."

The plot: Margot (Kidman) precipitates a series of unfortunate events that will break her family apart just days before her sister Pauline (Jason Leigh) is set to marry her fiancee Malcolm (Black).

Our quick thoughts: In the tradition of his previous film "The Squid and the Whale," Noah Baumbach draws a wonderful portrait of a dysfunctional family who literally breaks apart in the days leading up to a marriage. "Margot" is a quiet film that offers a rather dark and at times sorrowful examination of its characters, which, despite a slow-moving plot, remains quite fascinating until the end. Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh deliver top-notch performances as sisters with totally different personalities, always looking back into the past to figure out what went wrong in their mostly desperate lives. Though similar in terms of story, "Margot" ends up being not as powerful as Baumbach's previous film. 

Freaky quote: "What was it about Dad that had us fucking so many guys?" - Jennifer Jason Leigh

The final word: Adherents of independent filmmaking will most likely appreciate the compelling thematic and smooth plot of "Margot," which despite only a few weaknesses, remains an overall enjoyable family drama.