Margot at the Wedding

There are a great many people who will look at the title MARGOT AT THE WEDDING and wonder if that’s a reference to French New Wave director Eric Rohmer. And the title is not the only reference. Writer/director Noah Baumbach’s newest film is tightly tied to the ideals of the French New Wave, from the look and feel of the film to the portrayal of its characters. This dedication to a more “realistic” sense of filmmaking is likely to turn off some while intrigue others. And while it may not be a complete success, MARGOT AT THE WEDDING has many things to admire.

Neurotic and destructive Margot (Nicole Kidman), a short story writer who draws heavily from real life, is about to end a years-long silence with her sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) when she travels to her childhood home for a wedding. The sisters have an unconventional relationship to say the least. They joke one minute, shout at each other the next. And throughout this, several things become clear, the clearest being that Margot doesn’t like Pauline’s fiancé, an unemployed painter/musician (Jack Black). None of these people are particularly likable, and their neuroses and suspicions against each other keep building and building, inevitably leading to a complete breakdown.

There is one thing that’s sure about this film; the characters are not meant to be liked. Baumbach goes out of his way to make sure the audience detests nearly every character in the film. Margot is selfish and off-putting. The only way she can booster her own self-esteem is by knocking down others; she laughingly comments that her sister cannot make eye contact with others, that her son smells bad and is growing stupid, and in more than one case accuses a potential attacker of being retarded. Pauline and Malcolm (the fiancé) don’t fare much better either; each of them are severely complicated individuals whose flaws seem to inflate in Margot’s presence. They discuss nearly every topic with irritating nonchalance, freely admitting to their children that they’ve been abused by their parents or babysitters. Whenever one of these characters finally breaks down and reaches out for help, it is far from sympathetic. It is pathetic. Yet many will argue that this is undeniably “real”; these are how real people are, and this is how real people react. They argue, they are selfish and their revelations are often pitiful to watch. Oh, and every adult is a victim of child abuse. That’s real.

These difficult characters, however, have lead to some extraordinary performances, particularly from Kidman and Leigh. Baumbach has successfully tapped into Kidman’s natural frigidity, which so often hampers her other performances. Kidman herself is completely committed to the part; her Margot is tightly wound, always wavering between laughter and tears. Thanks to Kidman, Margot’s incessant putdowns come off a clear warning signs of a breakdown about to occur, not needless bickering. It’s one of the braver, subtler performances of her career, unfortunately likely to be ignored, as her more subtle work often is. Leigh is compelling as well; Pauline desperately seeks approval from Margot while carelessly rejected it, whatever small doses she gets. She is just as tightly wound as Margot, yet fully conscious of her and her sister’s faults and the effects it has on those around them. Leigh plays Pauline as the reluctant voice of reason, a feat that is subtle and astonishing in itself. Even Jack Black acquits himself nicely, managing to hone in the broadness for a different kind of comedy; one where we laugh at the characters, not with them.

There are a lot of problems within MARGOT AT THE WEDDING, and most of them are intentional. If the viewer is willing to accept that these people are fatally flawed and will never change, they will be the better for it. This is a film about people who are so set in their ways that they’re beyond saving in many ways. Whether this makes it real or not is up to the viewer. One has to wonder exactly how Baumbach intends this film to be taken. Like many works of the French New Wave, its effect will be different for everyone who views it. For some, it will be insightful and artistic. For others, a lot of intellectual mumbo-jumbo that doesn’t go anywhere.

***/****