MARGOT AT THE WEDDING SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT THE BOUQUET Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) brings to us an odd assortment of characters, fully developed and interesting to watch... at least for a while. Nicole Kidman is Margot, who is on her way to her estranged sister, Pauline's (Jennifer Jason Leigh) wedding with her preteen age son, Claude. Their arrival gives everyone a few days to visit before the ceremony. We meet the groom, Malcolm (Jack Black) who practically steals the movie away from his dynamic co-stars. He is crass, vulgar and speaks his mind, which is against everything Margot is for. Kidman realistically reveals the realities of her character as she imbibes wine, Xanax and tries hard to repress her feelings. Typically she hurls insults and cruelly snaps at her son and her sister. She gives new meaning to inappropriate parenting skills. Leigh is comfortable in Pauline's skin. She dances between calm and chaos. The script is tight and mixes subtle comedy in this mostly dramatic film. Again, we see a family that puts the 'fun in dysfunction'. The film moves a bit too slowly. When all is said and done, the ending left me dissatisfied. The whole movie flows from one scene to another with minimal effort except the end. I'm not always one for a happy ending, but there were too many unanswered questions. I didn't like spending the time (maybe too much time) to get to know and understand these people only to be cut off so curtly. Overall an entertaining film to watch, especially Black in a serious role, but not one of my favorites.Pick-ish: A middle of the road pick, not great but interesting to watch.
