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The Squid and the Whale

"Joint custody blows."

2005-10-05 Comedy 1hr 21m

Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

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The Squid and the Whale
Netflix

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Storyline

Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

  • Released
    2005-10-05
  • Revenue
    $11,100,000
  • Budget
    $1,500,000
  • Runtime
    1hr 21m
  • Genre
    Comedy, Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    7.3
  • Production
    Destination Films, Original Media, American Empirical Pictures, Peter Newman/Interal

Crew

Noah Baumbach
Director
Noah Baumbach
Writer
Charlie Corwin
Producer
Keywords:
uniform new york city museum writer private brooklyn, new york city tryst semi autobiographical 1980s

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Cast

Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg
Walt Berkman
Jeff Daniels

Jeff Daniels
Bernard Berkman
Owen Kline

Owen Kline
Frank Berkman
Laura Linney

Laura Linney
Joan Berkman
Halley Feiffer

Halley Feiffer
Sophie Greenberg
Anna Paquin

Anna Paquin
Lili
William Baldwin

William Baldwin
Ivan
David Benger

David Benger
Carl
Molly Barton

Molly Barton
Graduate Student
Bo Berkman

Bo Berkman
Graduate Student
Matthew Kaplan

Matthew Kaplan
Graduate Student
Simon Kaplan

Simon Kaplan
Graduate Student
Matthew Kirsch

Matthew Kirsch
Graduate Student
Daniella Markowicz

Daniella Markowicz
Graduate Student
Elizabeth Meriwether

Elizabeth Meriwether
Graduate Student
Ben Schrank

Ben Schrank
Graduate Student
Amy Srebnick

Amy Srebnick
Graduate Student
Josh Srebnick

Josh Srebnick
Graduate Student
Emma Straub

Emma Straub
Graduate Student
Alan Wilkis

Alan Wilkis
Graduate Student
James Hamilton

James Hamilton
Man with Joan
Adam Rose

Adam Rose
Otto
Henry Glovinsky

Henry Glovinsky
Lance
Eli Gelb

Eli Gelb
Jeffrey
Wayne Lawson

Wayne Lawson
Talent Show Judge
Michael Santiago

Michael Santiago
Talent Show Judge
Juan Torriente

Juan Torriente
Talent Show Judge
Patricia Towers

Patricia Towers
Talent Show Judge
Peggy Gormley

Peggy Gormley
Mrs. Greenberg
Peter Newman

Peter Newman
Mr. Greenberg
Greta Kline

Greta Kline
Greta Greenberg
Melissa Meyer

Melissa Meyer
Professor
Benjamin Smolen

Benjamin Smolen
Student with Puppets
Michael Countryman

Michael Countryman
Mr. Simic
Alexandra Daddario

Alexandra Daddario
Pretty Girl
Nico Baumbach

Nico Baumbach
Jeb Gelber
Maryann Plunkett

Maryann Plunkett
Ms. Lemon
Hector Otero

Hector Otero
Hector
Ken Leung

Ken Leung
School Therapist
Jo Yang

Jo Yang
Nurse
Jonathan Baumbach

Jonathan Baumbach
Man Outside Ms. Lemon's Office (uncredited)
Andrew Kaempfer

Andrew Kaempfer
Valet (uncredited)
Britta Phillips

Britta Phillips
Talent Show Audience Member (uncredited)
Bobby Shue

Bobby Shue
Student (uncredited)
Dean Wareham

Dean Wareham
Talent Show Audience Member (uncredited)

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Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Squid and the Whale
reviewer avatar

A Review by Wuchak 8

Written by Wuchak on 2019-02-09

***Gripping realistic account of divorce and its consequences; it’s also occasionally comical*** “The Squid and the Whale” (2005) is a... read more

***Gripping realistic account of divorce and its consequences; it’s also occasionally comical*** “The Squid and the Whale” (2005) is a frank, quirky and amusing drama about a family from Brooklyn in 1986 that encounters divorce and the ramifications thereof. The father (Jeff Daniels) is a literary professor and fading author while the wife (Laura Linney) is an emerging writer, a sweet liberal who for some reason can’t stop having affairs. The two boys are played by Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline. William Baldwin is on hand as a tennis instructor while Anna Paquin plays a college student. The story is unsurprisingly based on director/writer Noah Baumbach’s own family’s experience. I say “unsurprisingly” because the movie smacks of real life with its candid and sometimes comical approach. A few viewers didn’t ‘get’ the father, Bernard Berkman (Daniels), and have interpreted him in an uber-negative way. Yes, he’s a grotesquely competitive, pompous cheapskate, but his comical flaws are rounded out by an inherent decency. He’s clearly not the unfaithful partner and wants to keep the family together. He takes the time to spend quality time with his boys and mentor them, especially Walt (Eisenberg), who idolizes him. Speaking of the father and Walt, Eisenberg and Daniel’s characters and their performances are the highlight of this picture. Both characters are fascinating psychological studies. Eisenberg possesses the intense, intelligent charisma of James McAvoy and Brando. Is it any wonder that he went on to play The Joker in the DCEU? Winsome Halley Feiffer is on hand as his girlfriend. Speaking of females, Anna Paquin is another highlight even while her lack of modesty isn’t very becoming. Nevertheless she looks great in jeans. The movie runs 1 hour, 21 minutes and was shot in Brooklyn, New York. GRADE: A-

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by Wuchak

***Gripping realistic account of divorce and its consequences; it’s also occasionally comical*** “The Squid and the Whale” (2005) is a frank, quirky and amusing drama about a family from Brooklyn in 1986 that encounters divorce and th...

reviewer avatar

A Review by Wuchak 8

Written by Wuchak on 2019-02-09

***Gripping realistic account of divorce and its consequences; it’s also occasionally comical*** “The Squid and the Whale” (2005) is a frank, quirky and amusing drama about a family from Brookly...

read more