Kicking & Screaming

by Scott Gleine

 
The paralyzing fear and anxiety one faces upon college graduation is not a subject many filmmakers attempt to tackle, especially with their first feature. With that in mind, I was more than surprised to discover that Noah Baumbach handled it with such wit and nuance in his debut Kicking and Screaming (made at age 25!), out now thanks to the always reliable Criterion Collection and definitely not starring Will Ferrell. The release of this cult favorite could not have come at a more appropriate time in my life. I'm currently in my last year of college and can find many things to relate to in these characters that first appeared on screen when I was only 10 – a definite sign of the film's depth and longevity.

Kicking and Screaming centers around a group of friends who spend way too much time hanging around one another, prompting more than one female to remark that "you guys all talk alike." After graduating from an unnamed East coast liberal arts college, they all find various ways to avoid moving on with their lives. Grover (Josh Hamilton) pines over his ex-girlfriend Jane (Olivia D'Abo), who has moved to Prague. Grover copes with the situation by casually sleeping with freshman girls and connecting to Jane only through her answering machine messages, which he does not return. Max (the wonderfully dry Chris Eigeman – why doesn't this guy get more work?) is the rich one of the group, and sits around living off his parents' wealth and doing nothing except making cynical, yet highly accurate, remarks about everything around him. Otis (an amazing comic performance by Carlos Jacott) freaks out about going to grad school and reverts to living with his mother and working at Video Planet. There's also Skippy (Jason Wiles), who enrolls in school again to try and learn more, but winds up being lazy with his girlfriend Miami (Parker Posey) and serving as the quintessential annoying guy in the group that everyone else tends to act above. Also around is Chet (Eric Stoltz), a bartender/ professional student who has been going to the school for ten years and is full of philosophical advice for the wayward youngsters and anyone else who might care to listen.

On the surface, it may appear as one of those typical nineties independent films where nothing much happens and people just sit around talking about their problems and making pop culture references. In a way, it does fall into that category at times, but the film manages to find an extra level of resonance to any over-educated mind that has spent time fretting about the future and asking the important question of "what the hell do I do now?" There is a slight melancholic undertone to the humor, though it is nowhere near as apparent as it is in Baumbach's latest film, The Squid and the Whale. The fine writing and exceptional performances allow many things to exist on a subtextual level and it is easy to see why all of the characters do what they do in response to the situations around them. Baumbach also shows a bit of stylistic flair, particularly in the use of dissolving still images to denote the beginning of a Grover/Jane flashback. He also makes great use of a frequently moving, Renoir-esque camera that captures numerous interactions happening within the scene and, at times, also creates a feeling of anxiety that echoes the uncertainty of the characters. As the film nears its climax, the camera moves much less often as the characters start to find some direction (though very little) in their lives.

Another aspect of the film that allows it to succeed so well is its remarkably quotable and detailed script. Each character has at least one memorable dialogue exchange and there are plenty of jokes that become even funnier on repeat viewings. They're all much better in context, but here are some brief samples:

Kate: I'm turning seventeen tomorrow.

Max: Wow…now you can read Seventeen Magazine and finally get all the
references.

Max: Is that a pajama top?

Otis: No!………yes.

Grover: I like a bartender who drinks. Otherwise I feel like I'm
being poisoned.

Skippy: I'd like to fuck the dickens out of her, if you get my meaning.

Otis: No, I have no idea what you mean.

The dialogue makes the characters relatable, which is extremely necessary for a film that is not plot driven.

Various details are also used to define the characters. For example, Max takes the time to label broken glass on the floor, but has no intention of picking it up. This shows that he cares enough about the safety of his friends, but assumes that someone else is going to clean it up. Perhaps this blatantly irresponsible gesture reflects his (and maybe everyone else's) outlook on life. He just hopes that everything will play out naturally and that he will have as little to do with it as possible, evidenced by his comment that he wishes he and his friends could skip ahead to their retirement after a long life of hard work.

Baumbach manages to squeeze out a few poignant moments in the last act. He even has the guts to end the film during a flashback, providing an open-ended conclusion that is either really sad or really hopeful. I still can't decide. Kicking and Screaming is an overlooked gem that more than hinted at the talent that Baumbach has for well-written, bittersweet dramedy. It may have taken two failed films between his debut and his recent breakthrough to find his groove, but he will certainly have plenty of time to strengthen his oeuvre in the years to come. Many thanks to the Criterion Collection for releasing this one.