Viewed in
2008
Premise
An autobiographical account about experiencing his parents' divorce as a teenager.
Who should watch
Those who like indie movies about family dysfunction.
Thoughts
It was a good film full of realistic dialogue and human characters.
While divorce is rarely a fun subject in film, this one handled it quite uniquely. Screen writer and director Noah Bambauch did not treat this over-seriously, nor did he poke fun at it. The best way to describe it would be 'nostalgic amusement'.
All of the actors were great. I believed them as real, flawed people trying to make sense of a difficult situation. Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline were excellent, since most of the point of view was from the children of the divorced parents. As a side note, I am amazed when child actors can portray tough things, such as sexual discovery. Laura Linney was solid as usual.
One issue I had with the film was that Jeff Daniels' character as the father was too much of a jerk to like. Since this was autobiographical, maybe his dad really was like that.
Those who experienced divorce as a child might relate, and sometimes laugh, to this well-written film.
What I would change
Bought the film makers some steady cams or tripods.
