The Squid and the Whale

"Joint custody blows."

2005 1h 21m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 1,115

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

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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.

“Joint custody blows.”

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Cast

Jeff Daniels
Bernard Berkman
Laura Linney
Joan Berkman
Jesse Eisenberg
Walt Berkman
Owen Kline
Frank Berkman
William Baldwin
Ivan
Halley Feiffer
Sophie Greenberg
Anna Paquin
Lili
David Benger
Carl

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Noah Baumbach
Writers: Noah Baumbach
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

81 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 7.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Noah Baumbach, shot by Robert D. Yeoman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Britta Phillips. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tim Streeto shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney and Jesse Eisenberg carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Noah Baumbach directs. Robert D. Yeoman behind the camera. Britta Phillips scores. Tim Streeto cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

181 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Made its money back 7.4× over at the box office.
4Released 21 years ago.
5Directed by Noah Baumbach, shot by Robert D. Yeoman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Britta Phillips. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Tim Streeto shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney and Jesse Eisenberg carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Joint custody blows.".
10IMDB entry: tt0367089 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 11 themes, including "uniform", "new york city", "museum", "coming of age".

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert D. Yeoman
Original score: Britta Phillips
Editing: Tim Streeto
Production design: Anne Ross
Costume design: Amy Westcott
Makeup / hair: Lori Guidroz
Sound: Lewis Goldstein
Runtime: 81 min · 1h 21m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,500,000
Box office: $11,100,000
Return: 740% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Squid and the Whale (2005)

Awards

The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
Sundance U.S. Directing Award: Dramatic

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Noah Baumbach

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-02-09
★ 8/10
Gripping realistic account of divorce and its consequences; it’s also occasionally comical “The Squid and the Whale” (2005) is a frank, quirky and amusing drama about a family from Brooklyn in 1986 that encounters divorce and the ramifications thereof. The father (Jeff Daniels) is a literary professor and fading author while the wife (Laura Linney) is an emerging writer, a sweet liberal who for some reason can’t stop having affairs. The two boys are played by Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline. William Baldwin is on hand as a tennis instructor while Anna Paquin plays a college student. The story is unsurprisingly based on director/writer Noah Baumbach’s own family’s experience. I say “unsurprisingly” because the movie smacks of real life with its candid and sometimes comical approach. A few viewers didn’t ‘get’ the father, Bernard Berkman (Daniels), and have interpreted him in an uber-negative way. Yes, he’s a grotesquely competitive, pompous cheapskate, but his comical flaws are rounded out by an inherent decency. He’s clearly not the unfaithful partner and wants to keep the family together. He takes the time to spend quality time with his boys and mentor them, especially Walt (Eisenberg), who idolizes him. Speaking of the father and Walt, Eisenberg and Daniel’s characters and their performances are the highlight of this picture. Both characters are fascinating psychological studies. Eisenberg possesses the intense, intelligent charisma of James McAvoy and Brando. Is it any wonder that he went on to play The Joker in the DCEU? Winsome Halley Feiffer is on hand as his girlfriend. Speaking of females, Anna Paquin is another highlight even while her lack of modesty isn’t very becoming. Nevertheless she looks great in jeans. The movie runs 1 hour, 21 minutes and was shot in Brooklyn, New York. GRADE: A-

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