Margot at the Wedding details
| Format: | 15 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Zane Pais, Susan Blackwell, Nicole Kidman, Jack Black, Flora Cross, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Seth Barrish |
| Director: | Noah Baumbach |
| Genres: | Comedy, Drama |
| Studio: | PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Margot at the Wedding |
15 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 32 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 14 Jul 2008 |
| Main languages: | English |
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Most helpful review
Margot at the Wedding
By SAI81 (360 reviews) from Tonbridge , 04 May 2008[Highly rated reviewer]
Rather than lightening up after the caustic The Squid and the Whale writer/director Noah Baumbach has gone the other way, getting even darker with this tale of two deeply dysfunctional sisters; Margot (Kidman) and Pauline (Leigh) reuniting for the week of Pauline’s wedding to Malcolm (Black).
Noah Baumbach can certainly write, but he’s no visual stylist. Margot at the Wedding is a flat, dull, ugly looking film, it’s shot in greys and browns and often looks as dead as the tree that Margot climbs in one scene. Add this to the fact that almost all of the characters, even those who seem at first to be decent, end up being hateful and often malevolent and it’s easy to see why a lot of critics reacted strongly against this film. It’s tough to warm to, and that’s deliberate.
Margot is one of the most foul protagonists put on film in a long time; a nasty hateful harridan with barely a redeeming feature, she’s vile to everyone around her, particularly her estranged sister, though she still refers to Pauline as ‘my best friend’. It’s a pretty brave performance on the part of Nicole Kidman, as it goes out of the way to alienate the audience, but it’s also one of Kidman’s best performances in a long time.
Among the rest of the cast Jack Black shows dramatic chops as Malcolm, while also bringing some welcome, if understated, comedy to the table and, odd a couple as they make, there’s a genuine connection between him and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Baumbach also prves again that he’s adept at getting strong performances from young actors, drawing nice turns from Zane Pais as Margot’s son and, in a smaller part Flora Cross as Pauline’s daughter.
It would be easy to lay charges of nepotism at Baumbach’s door for casting his wife as Pauline, but then his wife is Jennifer Jason Leigh, and when you get a chance to cast an actor that good you grab it. Watching her play against Kidman is an object lesson in the difference between a good actor and a great one. Strong as Kidman is she’s always Nicole Kidman, playing Margot, you can always hear the wheels turn. With Leigh though the actress simply isn’t there, she goes away, leaving only Pauline. It’s one of the most normal roles Leigh has played and she’s absolutely wonderful in it, making Pauline a living breathing person, seemingly effortlessly.
As good as the acting is, though, and as sharply observed as Baumbach’s screenplay seems it’s often hard to care about what’s happening, certainly to Margot. The people in this movie, besides Pauline, who’s mostly guilty of being naïve, are just so awful to one another that whenever something bad happens to one of them you simply shrug. That’s a problem because, in a piece that is so character driven, you have to be able to care, and as the credits roll you just won’t.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(154)Don't watch this rubbish
By simon1604 (11 reviews) , 05 Mar 2013Seduced or tricked by the trailer - surely one of the most pointless films ever made. Lacked even the most basic of plots - she was going to her sister's wedding - the end!- Was this review helpful to you?
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92 minutes I'll never get back!
By JASflyer (2 reviews) , 03 Dec 201292 minutes of my life I'll never get back! I wish I'd read more of the reviews before adding this to my list. A totally pointless tale, throughout which I kept waiting for some enlightenment hence sticking to the end. A promising cast proved a huge disappointment. This was like a fly-on-the-wall documentary, watching a dysfunctional family continually bickering. I nearly switched off several times but felt I should reach the end just in case it all made sense in the final moments ... it didn't! Enough said.- Was this review helpful to you?
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disappointing considering the cast
By a customer , 27 Oct 2012What a weird film? I watched it all but considered giving up at several points as I was waiting for something actually to happen.... Jack Black was probably the best character in it, hilarious when he ran away from 'Malcolm' actually had me laughing but the rest was depressing.... not worth it but had nothing better to do lol.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Pointess waste of time
By Angloirishlass (3 reviews) , 21 Aug 2011Nicole Kidman really seems to be trying to eke out some sort of career playing quirky repressed women. While she was wonderful in Rabbit Hole where you understood where the character was coming from, I was at a loss with this film - not one character moved me and if you can't feel empathy or at least understand their motivation what is the point. The shame is that the ensemble itself would probably have served a comedy masterfully. Another reviewer used the words boring and pointless - I concur.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Plotless, Pointless
By a customer , 29 May 2011One of the most boring and pointless film that I have suffered to watch. Nicole Kidman manages to be even more annoying than usual. Plotless, and mind numbing.- Was this review helpful to you?
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