#65 - Kicking And Screaming

Directed by Noah Baumbach
1995 Comedy/Drama
Rated R

*** 1/2


Kicking And Screaming, Noah Baumbach's (The Squid And The Whale, Margot At The Wedding) first film, shows a director whose head is full of ideas, but isn't completely sure how to go about them. It tells the story of a group of friends, recent college graduates, who, instead of going off to respective careers, decide to stay and live on campus. The script is (unsurprisingly) the best part of the film. Baumbach shows his knack for writing clever dialogue and memorable lines ("Oh, i've BEEN to Prague," "Is that a pajama top?"); this script is weaker than the Squid and the Whale's overall, because it is full more of funny bits and scenes than being an overall great script, but it's still very rewatchable and quotable. As far as the acting, the cast is like a who's who of mid-90's actors who should've blown up, but didn't. Olivia d'Abo, Josh Hamilton, Chris Eigeman, Eric Stoltz. They turn in uniformly good performances (the best being Eigeman; the worst Jason Wiles (Skippy)). The relationship between Hamilton's Grover and d'Abo's Jane seems very real; no more than in the flashback sequences when we see the beginnings of their relationship (ignore the cheesy transitions to the flashbacks). There's no real clever filming here like there is in the Squid and the Whale; really, this is a pretty basic post-college movie with a good script and good performances. If you're a fan of quotable movies, check this one out.