AFI 2007

by Ari

 Margot at the Wedding (Noah Baumbach)

Margot at the Wedding is the latest dose of cruelty from writer/director Noah Baumbach, best known for Kicking and Screaming, The Squid and the Whale and co-writing Wes Anderson’s often maligned comedy The Life Aquatic. The story, like The Squid and the Whale, is focused on a very unstable family and the various struggles that occur between the not-so-kind characters. In this case, the drama unfolds over the course of a weekend. As the film’s tagline puts it: “One family. Infinite degrees of separation.”

Margot (Nicole Kidman) and her son Claude (Zane Pais) travel down the Eastern seaboard for her sister Pauline’s (Jennifer Jason Leigh) wedding. The event is to be held at Margot’s old home, where her sister and soon-to-be husband Malcolm (Jack Black) reside. Margot and Pauline had a falling out a year earlier, and once we see them together it all makes perfect sense as to why things became so complicated. Margot isn’t quite as detestable as Jeff Daniels’ character from The Squid and the Whale, but she’s still tough and prying and self-absorbed. She may seem concerned about Pauline’s questionable romance to Malcolm, but it’s really all about sibling rivalry and quiet contempt.

Malcolm is an unemployed aspiring "artist” who lazes around the house until he can either have sex with Pauline or throw a fit because of some inconsequential matter. Margot uses the situation as an excuse to rip into her sister and expose whatever secret information she can. Their disputes are painful to watch (Baumbach writes particulary brutal dialogue) and only worsen as the weekend comes to an end. It’s no surprise that relationships eventually crash and burn. Baumbach does insert moments of laughter and nostalgia in between the emotional chaos at hand (especially with Black’s hilarious turn as Malcolm), but for the most part Margot at the Wedding is a vicious and bitter family drama that doesn’t relent. The close-up handheld photography gives the story a raw immediacy reminiscent of Allen’s Husbands and Wives. The choice to use that Bergman-esque style is appropriate, as it fits Baumbach’s characters perfectly.

The performances are phenomenal by Kidman and Leigh. For Kidman, it’s easily her best work since Eyes Wide Shut. Margot isn’t the most likeable person you'll see in film this year, but Kidman brings a realism and emotional depth that makes her understandable. Margot at the Wedding isn’t a great film, but it’s a sharply written and confidently made drama that always engages.