Angelika_New_York KICKING AND SCREAMING (1995) dir. Noah BaumbachThis is not to be confused with the one starring Will Ferrell that came out ten-years later.Honestly even though I like this film, it isn't as good as I find myself making it out to be. There are some set-backs. The guys Max and Otis are probably the most engaging out of the group of characters. It is likely to do with the fact that I am partial to Chris Eigeman, who plays Max. Often in his early films such as this one, he plays a bit of a snob, but he has such a charming on screen persona that it's hard to dismiss him. Eric Stoltz is also interesting as another supporting character. When I think about it throughout this film, I realize that there isn't much of a plot. It is a talk-heavy indie film, therefore the appeal of it is in the dialogue, and then of course there are the talents of the cast involved that give it a vital spark. I thought the relationship between the main guy Grover and his girlfriend was presented in a unique way --it's mostly told in flashbacks, although after a while that becomes boring, especially in the last scene. It's anti- climactic. Not that I have a problem with that in general, but in this case it doesn't work. It is the only scene in the film that makes it a challenge to stay awake. The scenes where the characters were hanging out at Max's house or at the bar, and also the scenes featuring Parker Posey were more interesting.

amann-mann5 This came out on DVD finally as my college life was winding down, and I still love it. Having seen it many times, I have a Ferris Club theory about it, so indulge me if you're bored.The film's main character is ostensibly Grover, but it all revolves around Otis. Portrayed as the most comic and least serious of the characters, he is in fact a graduate in Engineering and is kept in the group's orbit out of a fear of flying. While Grover struggles with Jane's departure and Max devolves to the point of dating a high school girl and going to the prom (while being portrayed as the actual brain of the group) it is Otis who doesn't change or advance, even though he has the best job prospects thanks to his degree.Grover is infantalized by traits like wearing pajama tops as shirt and (huh?) eyeliner, but it's clear that he's the smartest among them. The only time his braininess is given short shrift is when he partakes in the book club with Chet but neglects to actually read the Cormac McCarthy novel agreed upon. Max mocks the book club, Grover ignores it and Skippy is the classic faux intellectual, but Chet's draw to Max and vice-versa indicates an attraction of the minds, one grounded by Chet's unapologetic love of being a student and Otis's fear of being anything else.This isn't intended as revisionism, simply a different way to look at the film. If you view it through the eyes of Otis, you see that of the core group - Skippy, Max, Otis, Grover - Max and Grover are meant to be the smart ones, but it's Otis who's clearly the brain of the bunch, conflicted and confused by social interaction, basic fashion and a desire to fit in. When you see it through the eyes of Otis, you see how utterly normal and bland the other three are.I love this movie.

SnoopyStyle A group of college friends graduate. Jane (Olivia d'Abo) tells her boyfriend Grover (Josh Hamilton) that she moving to Prague to study rather than joining him in Brooklyn. Chet (Eric Stoltz) has been in school for 10 years. Three months later, Otis (Carlos Jacott)'s worst fear comes true and he moving to Milwaukee. Grover is staying with Max (Chris Eigeman) who is just as aimless but then Otis returns having changed his mind. Clueless Skippy (Jason Wiles) is moving in with Miami (Parker Posey).These people are a little too aimless to be completely compelling. There are some fun dialog. The friendships are interesting. They just need something bigger to deal with. Even artificially, it needs something central to hold these characters together. I keep wondering why these guys don't go off on their own. They need to deal with something or anything. For so many character being so aimless but being aimless together, it would make more sense that this is one night or a few days instead of months and months. Let them be aimless after the graduation party but they have to leave sometimes. Apparently not.

zetes Armond White was right! Noah Baumbach's mother should have had him aborted! Nah, that's more than a little too harsh, but his debut film isn't very good. It shows a bit of promise, since some of the dialogue is okay here, but, overall, this is a talky, indie bore. A bunch of college students graduate but don't know where to go from there. Most of them just hang around campus, drinking and smoking and trying to bed students. The main story surrounds Josh Hamilton and his girlfriend, Olivia d'Abo, who doesn't even tell Hamilton she's going to Prague after graduation. This story is never at all compelling because Hamilton is such an unlikeable little douchebag. D'Abo probably isn't much better, but she's so attractive you can't want her to hang around Hamilton. Eric Stolz and Parker Posey are the most famous actors in the cast. Chris Eigeman has little to do but remind us how much better a director Whit Stillman is. Baumbach made a couple of other indie failures before hitting upon The Squid and the Whale. That and his subsequent two films, Margot at the Wedding and Greenberg, have been very good, so he did finally find his footing.