The Squid and The Whale

CamusEatsSumTum · #1 07-05-2006, 08:20 AM

Ive watched it three times since yesterday. This is one of the greatest movies ever made. The pacing of the movie is perfect.

Jeff Bridges and his Bill Murray-esque subtle, immature middle aged man performance is mind blowing. The dialogue for this movie is insanely well done. Jeff Bridges timing in the movie, his movements, its just perfect.

Laura Linney in the way she acts and deals with her two differnt sons. She treats her teenage son with respect, and sort of gives him room while not calling him out on some of his BS that he picked up from his father. Both of the sons in the movie are very good actors. They completely nail their roles.

Some of the best scenes in the movie are the way Jeff Bridges subtley insults everyone, like "well meaning but ultimately beaurocratic public school teachers", "phillistines..". Very, very funny. The scene where he gives his son $2 to get Tylennol, and its not enough money. He gives him $4 and then asks for change. When he goes to dinner with his son, and the gf gives him money for the bill and he just takes it. When he doesn't let the kids get out the car when he is looking for a parking space. When he tells his teenage son that the mother was having an affair, so subtley while we hear the other younger son cursing off screen while he plays tennis. He is cooking dinner for them while they sit in the other room, he screams "Dammit" and the young brother goes into the kitcheen and sees him picking the food off of the floor. When he is unfolding the couch and the following dialogue takes place:

Did you sleep on the couch last night?

Yeah, I did. The bed upstairs was killing my back.

Isnt the couch worse?

No.

I didnt think anyone could nail dialogue like this as well as Bill Murray, but honestly Jeff Bridges matches it.

The soundtrack is perfect, along the lines of The Royal Tennenbaums, Life Aquatic, and Rushmore.

Kneel B4 Zod · #2 07-05-2006, 12:34 PM

I liked the movie.

The difference between this and the similar Wes Anderson films is that TS&TW is mostly depressing. There are some funny parts, like you poiunted out, but they are pretty downbeat and sad. Much more so than the Anderson movies, admittadly have similar qualities.

ClassicBob · #3 07-05-2006, 01:25 PM

Bill Murray was supposed to play this part, and it shows. Daniels does a great job, but I couldn't get Murray out of my head while watching it, and this was before I knew that Murray was offered the role but turned it down.

I thought this movie was awesome for about 50 minutes, but it dies somewhat after that. It just trailed off to me. It's still worth a watch.

Parnick · #4 07-05-2006, 02:04 PM

Point 1: I liked this movie a good bit.

Point 2: If Bill Murray takes another role Like the ones in the WA movies/Lost in Translation, I am going to kill somebody. We get it. Bill's depressed. His understated genius is a marvel to behold. At this point, he's so catatonic that I feel like I'm watching photography.

I hope I'm not the only one who feels this way.

thatpfunk · #5 07-05-2006, 04:31 PM

jeff daniels does such a great job it cant be stated enough. the father-son relationships explored throughout are great. i also love the random baldwin.

kkf, check out thumbsucker.

BarronVangorToth · #6 07-05-2006, 04:36 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Bill Murray was supposed to play this part

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd never heard this before (not saying it's not true, just apparently missed this fun fact) and it does make sense as he would've been great in it. Thankfully, I enjoyed it without worrying about how much (better) different Murray would've been (muck like it's always a fun little exercise to try and read Cuckoo's Nest and not picture Jack Nicholson).

CamusEatsSumTum · #7 07-05-2006, 05:04 PM

I thought Thumbsucker was also an excellent movie.

pryor15 · #8 07-05-2006, 05:26 PM

for what it's worth, my review

theBruiser500 · #9 07-05-2006, 05:28 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Bill Murray was supposed to play this part, and it shows. Daniels does a great job, but I couldn't get Murray out of my head while watching it, and this was before I knew that Murray was offered the role but turned it down.

I thought this movie was awesome for about 50 minutes, but it dies somewhat after that. It just trailed off to me. It's still worth a watch.

[/ QUOTE ]

how do you know murray was offered the role and why did he turn it down? is there an easy way to keep up to date this sort of movies "news, views, gossip"?

theBruiser500 · #10 07-05-2006, 05:30 PM

Got a question for ya'll. I thought that the dad in the movie was just a real jerk as a person and the worst person in the movie. My friends disagreed which seriously shocked me as it was so clear cut to me. They said the mom was just as bad, and the dad was a nuanced character not outright bad... I thought he was pretty bad.