Nicole Kidman worries she's too From the IMDB's description of Margot at the Wedding
Academy Award nominated writer/director Noah Baumbach brings to life a sharply observed portrait of a family in distress. His latest project is an unflinchingly honest story about coming to terms with one's family and oneself, a journey that is both funny and heartbreaking.That sounds EXACTLY like The Squid and the Whale so I'm in. Can this measure up to the heartbreaking incisiveness of that film? Can you believe that the Squid screenplay lost the Oscar to f**ing Crash? More importantly (back on topic) has Noah Baumbach given his wife Jennifer Jason Leigh a chance for a real comeback with what we presume is the second most prominent role here --it's been quiet for years and years in her career. And Nicole Kidman? She plays Margot and if she's half as good as Jeff Daniels was in The Squid and the Whale won't she be up for an Oscar again?
JA: I'm a lonely little person, not having really liked The Squid and the Whale, ain't I? I thought Daniels and Linney were both terrific, but something about the movie (cough Eisenberg cough) annoyed me. Not that I wouldn't have awarded it any and everything before Crash, mind you.
I'm a big enough Kidman fan to be curious about this one, but that's almost cancelled out by the presence of Jack Black. Shudder. Well, consider me flummoxed.
Gabriel: I agree with almost every word, JA. I recognize that The Squid and the Whale was a good film, but it hasn't really lasted in my memory. There's something arch and constructed about the way Baumbach writes...prose that draws a lot of attention to itself. But Leigh and Kidman are enough to get me to into the theater for this one.
Joe: I also appreciated Squid more than I loved it. With me, I think it was more a function of seeing it so long after everyone else had – expectations were too high. Daniels and Linney were still all-stars, though. I’m really banking on this to be Jennifer Jason Leigh’s big splashy re-introduction to mainstream cinema. Of course, the last time she teamed up with a name director and a blonde A-list co-star, we got In the Cut, so...
Kidman gives me great pause, much as I like her. This is a stylistic departure for her. When was the last time Her Alabaster Luminescence® went for a talky picture?
Nathaniel: I hadn't thought of that but you're spot on. Even in her contemporary dramas like Birth or Birthday Girl she's not exactly a chatterbox.
Lulu: For me it's enough that Noah Baumbach is (a) interested in writing complex female characters and (b) is drawn to actresses with really smart instincts. (Plus, JJL usedta be my favorite actress of her generation -- and I'm still always game for the risk of her...)
Nathaniel: Well said. Margot won't be at that damn wedding until October though so hold your horses, Kidman and Squid fans. Potentially good news: Paramount Vantage is releasing it and they worked hard on their Oscar baby this past year. Potentially bad news: Paramount Vantage has a really full "prestige" slate this year so there's internal competition for any possible Oscar push.
If you'd like to really dive into your inner Kidmania, I'd suggest Nicole Kidman United where I got these set photos.
previously on "we can't wait"
#8 moved to 2008, #9 The Golden Compass,#10 Grindhouse, #11 Bug, #12, Sunshine, #13 Southland Tales, #14 300, #15 Hot Fuzz, #16 Stardust, #17 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, #18 Spider-Man 3, #19 Rendition, #20 The Bourne Ultimatum
Intro -films that didn't make the list
related Nicole Kidman
Moulin Rouge! -details of my neverending obsession * Actress of the Aughts -she's #1 * "We Are All Nicole Kidman" -a quiz * Nicole Kidman she's (almost) back *
tags: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jeff Daniels, Nicole Kidman, movies, academy awards, oscars, screenplay
