Psychiatrist Carl Jung would have had a field day at Margot’s parents’ house. With all the head games and stench of dysfunction about the place, the old Swiss doc could dissertate for hours on how we often pluck and pick at the bad in people, or how big, otherwise-joyous occasions often bring out the worst in family members. Margot (Nicole Kidman, making an incredibly strong bid for a second Oscar nom) is the centerpiece of the familial skirmishing here. She and her son (Zane Pais) are guests to the quiet New England nuptials of her estranged sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and unemployed fiancee (a slightly-reserved Jack Black). The siblings’ reunion is sufficient enough for a glass of white wine or two, but the instant things get comfortable, the unstable Margot grows uneasy. Margot is rude (she refers to Black’s character as “completely unattractive”), crude (her yelling at the neighbors stirs an already-brimming pot) and rarely in a good mood (she consistently calls her son names). Margot is a L.L. Bean-wearing, negating imp, and you’ll find repulsing glee in every second Kidman embodies her on the screen. Sadly, Noah Baumbach’s (The Squid and the Whale) examination ends with as many question marks as it begins with. But as is often the case in instances that deal with matters of discontent under one roof, resolution shouldn’t be expected after a single two-hour session at the movie theater. -DW
No comments:
Post a Comment