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The Squid and the Whale

The Squid and the Whale

Comedy · Drama · 2005

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.

Movie details

The Squid and the Whale

“Joint custody blows.”

2005 Comedy · Drama 1h 21m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Squid and the Whale?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Igby Goes Down

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Noah Baumbach

Written by

Noah Baumbach

Jeff Daniels

Jeff Daniels

Bernard Berkman

Laura Linney

Laura Linney

Joan Berkman

Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg

Walt Berkman

Owen Kline

Owen Kline

Frank Berkman

William Baldwin

William Baldwin

Ivan

Halley Feiffer

Halley Feiffer

Sophie Greenberg

Anna Paquin

Anna Paquin

Lili

Court is in session

Put The Squid and the Whale on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.