Enjoyably spiky family drama with a sharply written script and strong performances from its two leads.
Comment
02/29/08
Margot at the Wedding (2007)
52
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:161
Fresh:83
Rotten:78
Average Rating:5.6/10
Consensus: Despite a great cast, the characters in Margot at the Wedding are too unlikable to enthrall viewers.
Theatrical Release:29-02-2008
Synopsis: Writer-director Noah Baumbach follows up his Oscar-nominated THE SQUID AND THE WHALE with another bitingly funny and painfully honest dissection of family life. This time around, the topic is... [More]
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black, Ciaran Hinds
Director: Noah Baumbach
Reviews for Margot at the Wedding
Doesn't quite measure up to its predecessor but it is still an often painfully accurate study of fractured family relationships.
02/29/08
Of course, we get nothing so false as an “emotional journey” for anyone. But as the film abruptly ends, you can’t help feeling a little less ice would go a long way.
02/29/08
Dramatically and visually, there's no relief to be had in this self-indulgent downer.
02/29/08
There is such a thing as binge pessimism. It happens when one living disaster area, considered insufficient in a story, is served up with several others, causing audience braincells to swirl, stagger and collide against thalamic lampposts.
02/29/08
Never fully coheres or convinces.
02/29/08
Top CriticThis largely po-faced comedy drama has an annoying, self-congratulatory tone.
02/29/08
Humourless (though supposedly a comedy) and pretentious, almost a parody of the self-indulgent Sundance festival film, right down to the washed-out colours, droning dialogue and the title in big sans-serif capitals.
02/29/08
Top CriticSome of the dialogue is well-crafted and the performances are generally strong (although Black hams shamelessly at times) but the characters are so loathsome that you long for a hurricane to sweep away this wedding party.
02/29/08
Top CriticMagnetic, subtly tragic and ultimatley sympathetic, worth a watch if only to remind yourself why you don't go home for Christmas anymore.
02/29/08
With superb acting and great dialogue, this acerbic comic drama has some excellent moments, but it too often feels like being on an enforced holiday with people you'd rather not spend any time with.
02/29/08
Top CriticA big-name cast including Nicole Kidman, Jack Black and Jennifer Jason Leigh wrestles with a storyline containing industrial-sized quantities of misery and a plot that leaves too many loose ends hanging.
02/29/08
Emotional car-crash cinema at its best, packed with characters you’d hate to meet but who are riveting to watch. Baumbach’s barbed cynicism won’t be to everyone’s taste, but those still suffering the aftermath of a family Christmas will grin in grim recog
02/28/08
Those expecting fresh Squid will be disappointed. With few laughs and much whining, Margot takes the fun out of dysfunctional. It’s a damp squib with lots of wail.
02/28/08
Baumbach’s interest in families – a distinct Baumbachian sort of family – is acute and his observations often painful and delivered with a dry wit.
02/28/08
Top CriticA sharply observed but bleak examination of family dysfunction, anchored by solid performances.
02/28/08
Top CriticEnjoyably spiky family drama with a sharply written script and strong performances from its two leads.
02/28/08
Margot oozes poison from start to finish, challenging you to give a damn.
02/26/08
Top CriticThe script is a bit over-packed with secrets and revelations, quirks and wrinkles, but it's so vividly played out that we can't take our eyes off the screen.
11/15/07
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09/15/07
Latest News for Margot at the Wedding
February 18, 2008:
RT on DVD: Cram For The Oscars With Michael Clayton, In The Valley of Elah, And More Out This Week
Ready those Oscar ballots! With the Academy Awards around the corner, it's time to start catching up on what you missed in theaters. Snap up this week's offerings for... More...
November 15, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Beowulf is Certified Fresh; Magorium Short on Magic; Cholera is Under the Weather
This week at the movies, we've got epic poems come to life (Beowulf, starring Ray Winstone and Angelina Jolie), a magical toy shop (Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, starring... More...
October 25, 2007:
Scripts Online for Oscar Hopefuls Into the Wild, Kite Runner, and More!
The folks at Paramount Vantage are wearing their Oscar contender hopes on their sleeves, posting the scripts for four of their strongest 2007 films online for public consumption. More...
September 13, 2007:
Toronto Film Fest: Margot at the Wedding, Nothing is Private Reviews
Margot at the Wedding: "Brings out writer/director Noah Baumbach's misanthropy at its most unsalvageable." Nothing is Private: "[Its] reputation as Toronto's most subversive... More...
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