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Kicking and Screaming

Kicking and Screaming

Comedy · Drama · Romance · 1995

After college graduation, Grover's girlfriend Jane tells him she's moving to Prague to study writing. Grover declines to accompany her, deciding instead to move in with several friends, all of whom can't quite work up the inertia to escape their university's pull. Nobody wants to make any big decisions that would radically alter his life, yet none of them wants to end up like Chet, the professional student who tends bar and is in his tenth year of university studies.

Movie details

Kicking and Screaming

“Anxiety loves company.”

1995 Comedy · Drama · Romance 1h 36m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.2 / 10

Community rating

After college graduation, Grover's girlfriend Jane tells him she's moving to Prague to study writing. Grover declines to accompany her, deciding instead to move in with several friends, all of whom can't quite work up the inertia to escape their university's pull. Nobody wants to make any big decisions that would radically alter his life, yet none of them wants to end up like Chet, the professional student who tends bar and is in his tenth year of university studies.

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 Kicking and Screaming?

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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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Noah Baumbach

Written by

Noah Baumbach · Oliver Berkman

Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton

Grover

Olivia D'Abo

Olivia D'Abo

Jane

Chris Eigeman

Chris Eigeman

Max

Parker Posey

Parker Posey

Miami

Jason Wiles

Jason Wiles

Skippy

Cara Buono

Cara Buono

Kate

Carlos Jacott

Carlos Jacott

Otis

Court is in session

Put Kicking and Screaming on trial.

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

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

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

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

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