Saturday, June 06, 2009

Adam Joins Margot at Pauline's Wedding

You'll know Adam from his Signatures series here at the Film Experience but I hope you'll also know him from his own blog Club Silencio where he recently made a strong case for Noah Baumbach's Margot at the Wedding. I don't love the film as much as he does, but it's a must read... especially for Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh fans.

14 comments:

Fernando Moss said...

HAPPY BEERDAY NATHANIEL ;)

Adam said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Don't be Laura Brown depressed, be Margot depressed - where you push it bitterly onto other people until you feel better about yourself. It's healthier, and god knows the cinephile community needs you alive and blogging!

Anonymous said...

never understood why you love rachel getting married, but not margot. kidman killed it here. leaps ahead of hathaway.

Anonymous said...

They really are sister films in my opinion, but RACHEL does have a lot more heart floating through it. More a fan of the performances they feature than either film, but if I had to tip my hand to one or the other MARGOT wins. Hathaway was great, but Kidman was on fire. That she (and the entire cast, but Kidman especially) managed to reveal a great deal of vulnerability in such an caustic piece was pretty amazing to me.

-Val

jess said...

I think it's almost my favorite perf from Kidman. Not as iconic as To die for or Moulin Rouge, but she's so raw and real (how many people in the literary world who are exactly like that have I met!) she creates a character that wasn't as endearing on paper.

I can't wait for Nine and Rabbit Hole. Oh, and I read that Tomas Alfredson (Let the right one in) will direct her in The Danish Girl. She must have picker him, since it's being produced by her company, Blossom Films.

NATHANIEL R said...

anon. i prefer Rachel over Margot for numerous reasons.

a) Hathaway's Kym performance > Nicole's Margot (though both are nomination worthy, obvs)

b) Demme's direction > Baumbach's and far more flavorful

c) Lumet's screenplay > Baumbach's (which has too many neat and/or clunky "symbols" or parallels)

d) and I really didn't like Margot's entire look. I understand the case Adam made for it but I just thought it looked too dingy all told.

e) heart, music, pain and bitterness acknowledged and stinging but also other shades allowed in as well.

I L-O-V-E rachel geting married obvs. and i have some issues with Margot but I do think it's underappreciated and that Adam makes a lot of great points (hence the link)

jess yikes. literary world people are really like that? not that i'm doubting you or baumbach or kidman but several of them... ;)??

Anonymous said...

I feel that Nicole's Margot is so much more complex and interesting than Anne's Kym. Anne's perf felt like she was trying too hard. Nicole completely inhabited her character.

Anonymous said...

I would love to see you and Adam debate Margot v. Rachel on your speaker series! I'm sorry Nat, but it makes me sick to my stomach that you think Anne's perf is better than Nicole's perf.

Adam said...

I'll jump in on the argument bandwagon if only to argue for Baumbach's script (and SO Nicole over Anne - though both are fantastic). Baumbach may have a few "symbols" in there but I don't think he's as orchestrating with them or as manipulative about them as bits in "Rachel Gets Married." That dishwasher/plate scene, the inevitable falling off the wagon and redemption, the "slap"... I'm not arguing there isn't resonance to be found in those bits but they are infinitely more screenwriter friendly than anything I see in "Margot," and that includes characters that I don't think we see as often as those in "Rachel." For one easy example: Pauline in "Margot" is built up for us as an audience to sympathize with, given Margot's obvious insanity, and then she ends up nearly kicking a child down the stairs. Layers, Nat, layers.

Unknown said...

I just watched yesterday. When the movie came out I heard that it was kinda bad, but and enjoyed very much, i thought it was very funny to just see Margot being herself. It's sad that it got almost no recognition, especially Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Anonymous said...

Glad that you liked it Ivo!
Make sure you watch it again. It's even better than 2nd time.

Unknown said...

I must certainly will. Seeing Nicole Kidman in a movie always amuses me

Anonymous said...

Best Kidman's perfomance. As I loved Kym's Anne, well Nicole is 1000 way better. She is the perfection in the role of margot, no doubt about it.

yui said...

Nicole is 100 way better than Anne. Anne in RGM is good but Nicole in MATW is perfection, pure perfection. I'm not afraid to say she's the best actress of this generation. Margot is one of her best role, probably the best. Margot shows Nicole's complexity and talent perfectly. This woman can play every carachter, she's a genius of acting.