KICKING AND SCREAMING
A film review by Larry McGillicuddy
Copyright 1996 Larry McGillicuddy
**** Dir.-Noah Baumbach Cast- Josh Hamilton, Olivia D' Abo, Chris Eigeman, Carlos Jacott, Eric Stoltz, Jason Wiles, Parker Posey, Elliott Gould, Cara Buono, Jessica Hecht
Review- This wonderful surprise was hands down the funniest movie of 1995. This film tells the stry of four friends who just graduated from college but are uncertain what to do with their lives. The plot may sound similar andf this story has been botched many times before, but this time it is perfect. I loved every minute of this film.
Josh Hamilton stars as Grover, who on graduation night learns that his girlfriend, Jane, is moving to Prague. Grover asks "So how will that work if you're living with me in Brooklyn?" Jane responds, "It'll be the same, except I'll be in Prague." Jane leaves for Prague, and in a futile attempt to get over her, he sleeps with a different freshman each night it seems. Jane continues to leave messages on the answering machine, and Grover tries not to listen, but he does. The film shows the beginnings of their relationship in flashbacks, after we have already seen them breakup. This is an intelligent device, and makes the flashbacks all the more poignant.
Chris Eigeman plays Max, the cynical wisecracking Matthew Perry-ish best friend of Grover. Max graduates and realizes he has to start all over again. "8 hours ago I was Max Beaumont, English major, college senior. Now I'm Max Beaumont who does nothing." Max always seems to have a self deprecating manner, and apparently is never happy with himself. Enter into his life a 16 year old high school student (Buono). They make an odd couple, but thats probably what Max likes about her. He couldn't stand being with someone like him, so he has to be with someone different.
Carlos Jacott plays Otis, the dopey one. He is supposed to go to graduate school, but doesn't have enough confidence and decides to take a year off. He is constantly doing strange things such as wearing his pajamas during the day, coming out of the bathroom unbuckled, and putting mascara on. He takes a job at a huge Blockbuster style video store that has numerous confusing movie categories such as Dog - Buddy pictures and Interesting Failures. This is an obvious attempt at spoofing Blockbuster and it is very funny, but seems out of place in this film which otherwise mines its humor from real life situations. This is a very minor nitpick in an otherwise perfect film.
Jason Wiles plays Skippy, the naive and carefree one who re-enrolls in school after graduating so he has an excuse to stay in town with his undergraduate girlfriend, Miami (Posey). This is a very entertainig relationship between the two that suffers a crisis, and at the end we understand why he has put up with her, and why she has put up with him. The last scene between the two is wonderful. We realize their annoyances, but we understand their significant charms.
In the middle of all this is the bartender Chet, played by Eric Stoltz. He has been going to college for 10 years. "I did skip a semester my sophomore year," he helpfully informs us. Chet is comfortable with what he does in life, and isn't looking for a career. He is a college student, and thats all he wants to be.
"Kicking and Screaming" was written and directed by Noah Baumbach in a stunning debut. The depth he puts into each and every character is astonishing. Notice for example the scene in the Creative Writing class where some characters that only have one or two lines have fully developed personalities, especially the teacher, who says only one word. The dialogue is highly entertaining and realistic. There are conversations here that rival the popular ones in Pulp Fiction, such as a discussion on the Friday the 13th films, and on wether you would want to fuck a cow or lose your mother. The acting is terrific. There isn't one imperfect performance in the bunch, and Jacott's uproarious deadpan portrayal of Otis deserved the Oscar for best supporting actor. Elliot Gould has a very effective small role as Grover's dad. This little independent feature didn't even make 1 million in its theatrical release, so I beg you to rent this so we will get to see more from Noah Baumbach in the future. This is one of the funniest movies of the decade.
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