Highball

Directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Baumbach, Carlos Jacott, and Christopher Reed, Highball is the story about a newlywed couple who decide to throw parties in order to improve their social lives in the course of an entire year. The film is a look into the world of marriage and friendships as they‘re tested in a trio of parties where things happen in weird ways. Starring Justine Bateman, Peter Bogdanovich, Dean Cameron, Chris Eigeman, Eric Stoltz, Annabella Sciorra, and Christopher Reed. Highball is a messy and incomprehensible film from Noah Baumbach.

The film revolves around the lives of a newlywed couple in Travis (Christopher Reed) and Diane (Lauren Katz) as they decide to throw parties in the course of a year in order to improve their social life with their friends. Instead, things go wrong in a trio of parties where there’s some spats, misunderstandings, discussions that go horrible wrong, and all sorts of confusion while one of the guests in Darien (Eric Stoltz) is always bringing a date who is a famous actress. The screenplay that Noah Baumbach, Christopher Reed, and Carlos Jacott explore the idea of these parties where everyone is eager to have a good time but something always go wrong. Things get messier and weirder where couples break up, a guest always instigate things, and there’s always something to make things even worse.

Baumbach’s direction is very intimate as he sets the film entirely in an apartment in Brooklyn where people are always gathering around to socialize and do things. Shot in six days with leftover film stock, the direction is quite loose while Baumbach would insert scenes of the New York City streets in between each segment of the film that is wonderfully edited with dissolves and such. The rest of the film itself unfortunately meanders where there’s gags involving a record company employee named Miles (John Lehr) and his boss (Chris Eigeman) while a guest named Felix (Carlos Jacott) spars with another guest (Noah Baumbach). There are moments that are funny including a guest (Peter Bogdanovich) making various impressions but it starts to lose its luster by the third act and things get more ridiculous as things wore on. Overall, Baumbach creates a very troubled and often dull micro budget film that really isn’t sure what it wants to be.

Cinematographer Steven Bernstein does nice work with the cinematography where it does have some grainy camera work for many of the film‘s interior settings to capture the mood of the parties. Production designer Shanya Tsao does terrific work with the design of the parties to play up the holiday or theme of the parties. Costume designer Katherine Jane Bryant does wonderful work with the costumes including the designs of the Halloween costumes the guests wear at the party. Sound editor Jason Kaplan does excellent work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the parties as well as some of the backdrops of conversations heard in the background. Music supervisor Dean Wareham creates a fine soundtrack that features some of his own music plus some dreamy folk songs of his own including a few stuff played in the parties.

The film’s cast is a highlight of the film as it features appearances from Ally Sheedy and Rae Dawn Chong as themselves who are dates of Darien, Louise Stratten as a woman dressed up as a subway train, Catherine Kellner as a party guest dressed up as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Dean Cameron as a magician in the first party, Dean Wareham as a guest in the New Year’s Eve party, and Peter Bogdanovich as a guest who dresses up as a director in the Halloween party while doing many impressions of famous actors from the past.

Other small roles include Justine Bateman as the guest Sandy who is a friend of Diane, Annabella Sciorra as another friend of Diane in Molly, John Lehr as the somewhat dim-witted Miles, Noah Baumbach as the low-key yet smart-ass Philip, Chris Eigeman as Miles’ annoyed boss Fletcher, and Carlos Jacott as the very brash and pushy Felix. Lauren Katz is very good as Diane as a woman trying to get the party right while being frustrated by Felix while Christopher Reed is excellent as Travis who is a friend of Felix but couldn’t get anything through to Diane because he never tells her anything.

Highball is a drab yet disappointing film from Noah Baumbach. While it features themes about adulthood that he’s known for, it’s a film that gets bogged down by too many things happening where not much makes sense. Though it does have moments that are funny and is a bit impressive in terms of the small budget it has. It’s a film that really doesn’t offer much as it gets too repetitious at times while some of the characters don’t become interesting anymore. In the end, Highball is a disappointing yet dull film from Noah Baumbach.

Noah Baumbach Films: Kicking and Screaming - Mr. Jealousy - The Squid & the Whale - Margot at the Wedding - Greenberg - Frances Ha - While We’re Young - Mistress America - De Palma - The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) - Marriage Story - (White Noise (2022 film)) - The Auteurs #41: Noah Baumbach

© thevoid99 2013

The Last Days of Disco

Written and directed by Whit Stillman, The Last Days of Disco is the story about two college graduates who work at a publishing house by day as they go to disco clubs in the early 1980s in its waning days trying to find love and fun. The film is about a period in time where things are changing as two women try to spend as much time in a nightclub soaking in these final days while facing the uncertainty of their future. Starring Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman, Mackenzie Astin, Matt Keeslar, Matt Ross, Tara Subkoff, Jennifer Beals, and Robert Sean Leonard. The Last Days of Disco is an extraordinary comedy-drama from Whit Stillman.

The era of the disco craze was a place where many people get the chance to go to nightclubs, have a few drinks, and dance to some good music. While there were also dangerous elements of cocaine and promiscuous sex involved, it was a period in time that at least got people together to have fun. For two young post-graduates in Alice (Chloe Sevigny) and Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale), they go to a lavish nightclub as regulars just to have a good time as a way to escape the dreariness of everyday life where they work at a publishing house. While the two women aren’t exactly best friends, they do move in together with another woman while dealing with ideas of falling in love, dealing with the future, and the role of being a woman. Through the men they meet, they endure all sorts of challenges about what to expect in a man as the men themselves are also dealing with their own issues. Especially as the age of disco starts to go into a major decline forcing these two women to deal with the changes in their environment and in themselves.

Whit Stillman’s screenplay does play to themes that he’s known for as well as setting them transitional periods of time. While the film is set in the early 80s during disco’s decline, the script is structured to play out this period of decline where the first half is about the good times in the age of disco while its second half is about its inevitable fallout due to drugs, sexual promiscuity, and other big things. Particularly as it revolves on several characters in the film aside from Alice and Charlotte. Notably the men such as one of the club’s managers in Des (Chris Eigeman), an advertising executive in Jimmy (Mackenzie Astin), and an assistant D.A. in Josh (Matt Keeslar) as they are all part of the group that Alice and Charlotte are in. While there’s a few extra people that are part of this group, they all discuss about their roles in life as well as how to advance in life.

While Alice and Charlotte are these young women who have ambition and go to nightclubs, they are very different women as far as personalities are concerned. Charlotte is very outgoing in the way she deals with thing as well as being extremely opinionated as well as the fact that she’s kind of a bitch. Alice is a more soft-spoken individual who has idealism of what she wants in a man but her encounters end up being very troubling. While she finds something in guys like Des, Jimmy, and Josh as well as their flaws, it does have her raise questions about what she wants in a relationship while Charlotte believes she knows more yet she ends up going through the same questions as Alice about what she wants. Things do get more serious in the third act where the men in these women’s lives deal with not just themselves but also what they want just as the nightclub they all hang out is starting to close.

Stillman’s direction is very fascinating for not just the way the whole world of disco is presented but also the way he presents this rise of the world of the yuppies. There is a clash of these two very different cultures that each represents a different period in time yet Stillman is more interested in the people who are living in this transition of time. Stillman’s approach to framing is quite straightforward but still engaging in the way the characters are seen as well as how they conduct their lives. There is still humor that is present in these conversations as well as some of the action that occurs while it is mostly low-key and dramatic. Particularly as it plays to what these men are going through as Jimmy is trying to advance in the advertising world though he is considered to be a pariah at the club. The club manager Des is someone who is going through a sexual identity crisis while trying to help manage a club that is being targeted by the IRS and the NYPD.

The direction is also very playful while playing with the idea of anachronisms where Stillman uses footage of the infamous Disco Demolition Night in Chicago as well as raid in Studio 54. One aspect in playing with the anachronisms that does help with the film’s plot is the fact that there’s characters from Stillman’s previous films that appear who will help impact the fate of a few characters. Still, there is this build-up to the end where it involves lots of authority figures trying to close down this club that causes a lot of conflict for Josh. Even as it plays to some very dramatic moments about how he’s feeling for Alice as well as the fact that he’s kind of a friend for Des. The film’s ending is about the end of disco but is it really an end? There’s a great monologue that Stillman writes about disco’s demise that really plays true to not just about that period of time but also what it meant to people. Overall, Stillman creates a very rich and wonderfully smart comedy-drama about changing times and identity.

Cinematographer John Thomas does excellent work with the cinematography from the lighting presentation for many of the nightclub scenes to the more straightforward exterior look of New York City. Editors Andrew Hafitz and Jay Pires do fantastic work with the editing by utilizing rhythmic cuts to capture the tone of the conversations as well as some of the scenes in the clubs. Production designer Ginger Tougas does brilliant work with the look of the club many of the characters hang out at as well as the apartment that Alice and Charlotte live in. Costume designer Sarah Edwards does amazing work with the costumes from the more casual, yuppie-like clothes many of the characters wear in the day to the more stylish dresses the women wear at the club.

Sound editor Paul Soucek does wonderful work with the sound to capture atmosphere of the nightclubs as well as the more quieter moments in the work place and at the apartment. The film’s music by Mark Suozzo is terrific as it‘s mostly a low-key orchestral score to play out some of the dramatic scenes or scenes in the office. Music supervisor Peter Afterman does a superb job in compiling a soundtrack filled with some amazing disco classics from artists like Chic, Diana Ross, the O’Jays, Andrea True Connection, Alicia Bridges, Blondie, Sister Sledge, and many others as well as some reggae in the mix and late 60s soul music.

The casting by Billy Hopkins, Suzanne Smith, and Kerry Barden is incredible as it features some appearances from Jaid Barrymore as a club-goer known as Tiger Lady, George Plimpton and Anthony Haden-Guest as a couple of famous club-goers, Mark McKinney as a bar waiter, Michael Weatherly as a client of Jimmy’s who gets into the club, David Thornton as the club owner, Edoardo Ballerini as a club manager, and Burr Steers as the club doorman Van. Other notable small roles features some very funny appearances from Stillman’s previous films such as Carolyn Farina, Taylor Nichols, Bryan Leder, and Dylan Hundley replaying their roles from Metropolitan while Nichols also plays the character he played in Barcelona that includes Debbon Ayer as that protagonist’s future ex-girlfriend. Jennifer Beals is wonderful as a lover of Des who feels slighted by him while Robert Sean Leonard is excellent as a one-night stand Alice was with who later treats her like dirt.

Matt Ross is terrific as Alice and Charlotte’s co-worker Dan who hangs out with them while creating some fascinating observations about the disco world. Tara Subkoff is very good as Alice and Charlotte’s roommate Holly who is a very nice girl that Dan later dates though she is someone who admittedly makes questionable dating choices. Mackenzie Astin is superb as the advertising executive Jimmy who is trying to get into the club to help his career while making some discoveries about the club’s business. Matt Keeslar is great as the assistant D.A. Josh who goes to the club to discover the world of disco while some of his discoveries put him into conflict over what he should do as well as his feelings for Alice.

Chris Eigeman is marvelous as the club manager Des who tries to keep the club in order while dealing with his own sexual identity as he ponders about whether he’s really into women or not as it’s a very witty performance from the Stillman regular. Kate Beckinsale is remarkable as the very outspoken Charlotte as a woman who is very lively and opinionated while often saying the wrong things at times as it is a very delightfully charming performance from Beckinsale. Finally, there’s Chloe Sevigny in a brilliant performance as Alice as a young woman who is unsure about what she wants while dealing with some of the pratfalls about love as well with a discovery that could make or break her career.

The Last Days of Disco is an outstanding film from Whit Stillman that features top-notch performances from Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, and Chris Eigeman. Along with a very fun music soundtrack, the film is definitely an intriguing piece into the world of identity and changing times as well as a look into the last days of the disco culture. The film is also very accessible in the way it deals with people discussing big themes in a setting where a lot is happening where these people are eager to escape from that craziness. In the end, The Last Days of Disco is a fabulous film from Whit Stillman.

Whit Stillman Films: Metropolitan - Barcelona - Damsels in Distress - Love & Friendship - The Auteurs #21: Whit Stillman

© thevoid99 2013

Barcelona

Written and directed by Whit Stillman, Barcelona is the story of two American men who go to Barcelona who deal with cultural differences in Spain as it’s emerging in the aftermath of Fascist-Spain while falling for the women in the country. It’s a film that explores men’s idea about women as well as about themselves in a foreign land. Starring Taylor Nichols, Chris Eigeman, Mira Sorvino, and Tushka Bergen. Barcelona is a charming yet captivating film from Whit Stillman.

In the scheme of finding the right person in life, there is always an idea about what that person should be. For the film’s protagonist in Ted Boynton (Taylor Nichols), it’s about someone who isn’t physically attractive but rather someone who offers something more. Yet, he goes into a lot of his challenges as an American salesman living in Barcelona who is already going through issues in his work thinking he’s about to be fired. Adding to the complication is the unexpected arrival of his cousin Fred (Chris Eigeman) who is a U.S. naval officer trying to handle public relations for the U.S. who are having issues with Spain. While the two men contend with each other over their own ideas of the world while trying to handle this sense of anti-American attitude towards them. They still are able to find women they’re attracted to in Marta (Mira Sorvino) and Montserrat (Tushka Bergen) only to find ways to ruin these relationships through acts of confusion, selfishness, and misplaced idealism.

Whit Stillman’s screenplay is set in the early 1980s where Spain has just come out of post-Francisco Franco era just as it was transitioning to a more democratic state. Yet, the film opens with an American library being bombed that is inter-cut with images of Barcelona in a modern setting while someone throws a stone at an IBM computer store. For Fred who is waiting for his fleet to arrive, he is shocked by this wave of anti-American propaganda that is emerging thinking he is going to help smooth relations. Yet, he is believed to be a spy for the CIA as he is just trying to understand what is happening while being in a relationship with Marta. Still, the story is told largely from Ted’s perspective as he is this neurotic salesman who has done good but is receiving some terrible news that he thinks will lead to his termination.

Upon meeting Montserrat, Ted believes he has found someone that just doesn’t exude the qualities he wants in a woman but is also someone who is incredibly attractive. Yet, she is dating an anti-American journalist named Ramon (Pepe Munne) who writes all of these things that Americans did forcing Ted to finally lash out. It would eventually cause him trouble as it would Fred who becomes paranoid. Still, there are many complications for these two cousins who detest each other at times as Fred is more outgoing while Ted is an introvert. Even as they both have to deal with a lot of the tension towards them as Americans where Europeans despise their consumerist attitudes and other ideals. While Fred tries to defend these ideals, he also believes that maybe the Europeans are right about the Americans though Ted isn’t as sure. The script would change its tone a bit in the third act in a moment that brings the two men together but also provide revelations about everything they had been facing.

Stillman’s direction is truly engaging for the way early 1980s Barcelona is presented with this mixture of a very modern Europe coming into the world with women walking around in red coats while being inter-cut with images of anti-American attitudes. There are some amazing compositions that Stillman creates to present this kind of awkwardness in the ideas of Americans living in Barcelona. Notably as Ted and Fred often speak English for a large portion of the film as they don’t know much Spanish where they get of lot of disdain from Spaniards. While the film features some voice-over narration from Ted as he reflects on the events he encounters while pondering about his ideas on love and life. While he has to contend with the more patriotic Fred who often borrows money without asking or saying the wrong things. Ted still has to be with him so that neither of them could get in trouble about who they are though Ted would often put things in risk.

Stillman uses a lot of medium shots to create a lot of the group conversations and some wide shots for bigger group scenes to capture a sense of togetherness or a scene reflecting one’s isolation such as a visit to Ramon’s house outside of Barcelona. The city of Barcelona is a character in the city as it plays out this world where the old world meets modern Europe as someone like Ted could thrive there. Yet, there is also something off as he is unsure about his place in the world as well as what to do when it comes to love. Stillman’s approach to the humor is quite subtle while having a few elements of slapstick as it brings some energy to the film including an awkward moment when Fred tries to change the music of the party only to realize that he almost ruined the party. Overall, Stillman creates a very fascinating and exhilarating film about love and idealism.

Cinematographer John Thomas does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the beautiful daytime exteriors of the city to the gorgeous nighttime exterior scenes at night as well as some wonderful scenery in some of the interior scenes. Editor Christopher Tellefsen does fantastic work with the editing by using rhythmic cuts to capture the humor as well as some dramatic moments while keeping things straightforward for the most part while using fade-outs to help structure the film. Production designer Jose Maria Botines does nice work with the look of the apartment that Ted lives in as well as a few of the places Ted and Fred go to as well as some of the anti-American propaganda that is written on the walls around the city.

Costume designer Edi Giguere does some terrific work with the costumes from the stylish clothes the women wear to the naval uniform that Fred wears. Sound editor Catherine Benedek does superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of some of the parties as well as some of the more intense moments in the film such as a couple of bombing scenes. The film’s music by Mark Suozzo is brilliant as it is largely a low-key electronic score to capture the mood of uncertainty in the characters while its soundtrack is a mixture of jazz and Spanish pop music with some American disco that Ted and Montserrat love.

The casting by Billy Hopkins and Simone Reynolds is just amazing as it features some notable small roles from Jack Gilpin as an American consul Fred deals with, Thomas Gibson as a co-worker of Ted whom he feels threatened by, Nuria Badia as a friend of Marta in Aurora, Hellena Schmeid as Aurora’s friend Greta that Ted later meets late in the film, and Pepe Munne as the anti-American journalist Ramon whom Montserrat had a relationship with. Mira Sorvino is wonderful as Marta whom Fred goes out with as she tries to explain to Fred and Ted the anti-American sentiment in Spain while being more outgoing than Montserrat. Tushka Bergen is great as Montserrat as a woman that Ted falls for as she displays the kind of ideals and beauty he craves as she is confused over her own feelings for Ramon.

The duo of Taylor Nichols and Chris Eigeman are the true major highlights of the film in their respective roles as cousins Ted and Fred Boynton. Nichols displays a terrific sense of comic timing as a man who is somewhat socially-awkward in his ideas of love while trying to deal with his own issues as a man and hold on to his own ideas in the world of business. Eigeman is phenomenal as the more outspoken Fred as a man who is baffled by this anti-American sentiment in Spain while dealing with the cultural differences he’s facing as Eigeman also displays a subtle vulnerability to a man whose patriotism is in danger while being accused of being a spy as he also makes some startling revelations on his own life. Nichols and Eigeman together are the heart and soul of the film as they really bring life to characters who could’ve been very inaccessible.

Barcelona is a marvelous film from Whit Stillman that features rich performances from Taylor Nichols and Chris Eigeman. The film is definitely one of the smarter yet more engaging romantic comedies that refuses to play by the rules while not being afraid to speak out against some of the political inequalities of the world. It’s also a film that explores men dealing with their own flaws as they try to win over women from a different country who also hold a very different idea about life. In the end, Barcelona is an exhilarating film from Whit Stillman.

Whit Stillman Films: Metropolitan - The Last Days of Disco - Damsels in Distress - Love & Friendship - The Auteurs #21: Whit Stillman

© thevoid99 2013

Metropolitan

Written and directed by Whit Stillman, Metropolitan is the story about a middle-class student from Princeton who attends an upper-class debutante ball in New York City as he becomes part of a group of young people contemplating about their lives during the course of the Christmas holidays. The film is an exploration into the world of social classes as well as people in the transition of adulthood as they try to figure out what to do about their lives. Starring Carolyn Farina, Edward Clements, Taylor Nichols, Chris Eigeman, and Allison Rutledge-Parisi. Metropolitan is a witty and delightful comedy from Whit Stillman.

When people are about to emerge in adulthood, it is a period of confusion about what they’re expecting in their life. Even if this small group of people are from the upper class as all they do is go to parties and talk about the world around them. For this young man in Tom Townshend (Edward Clements), he is this middle-class Princeton student who has been in the world of social circles yet doesn’t really know much about the upper class though he has a wealthy father he doesn’t see very much. By accidentally meeting this group of young students who sort of know him, he starts to become part of this group of different people who all have a lot to say. Leading the pack is Nick (Chris Eigeman) who is very cynical about the way the world works yet he is intrigued by Tom for the fact that Tom comes from a slightly different background.

Still, Tom does have something to say about literature, art, and social classes as he often finds himself at the ire of the more philosophical Charlie (Taylor Nichols) who also pines for the young woman Audrey (Carolyn Farina) who has a crush on Tom. Yet, Tom is still hung up on his ex-girlfriend Serena (Ellia Thompson) who is dating a young man whom Nick believes is a scumbag based on a story about a young woman who killed herself over him. Whit Stillman’s screenplay is an exploration into this world that people outside of New York and the upper class might not seem to understand. Yet, the people in this film are actually very unique in their viewpoints about the world they live in, their social circles, and the idea of failing as adults.

Stillman uses a lot of dialogue to help carry the story where he reveals a lot of interesting views about the way these self-proclaimed urban-haute bourgeoisie conduct their lives. A lot of it is filled with contradictions about themselves in which Nick describes one of the women a group a slut yet he sleeps with her. Stillman allows the characters to be flawed in order to explain that no one has their life sorted out as Charlie is a guy who likes to talk about everything yet doesn’t know how to approach women. Tom is just as flawed as someone who is very intelligent but he is also a bit foolish about the fact that he is unaware that Audrey is attracted to him. There’s a scene where the two are arguing about Jane Austen where Audrey asks him if he’s read any of Austen’s books and he admits that he doesn’t as he only reads literary criticism.

Stillman’s direction is quite straightforward for the most part in terms of compositions and framing as he does set the film largely in Manhattan. Yet, he does add something to these scenes in the way actors are placed in the frame as well as capturing a discussion that is often happening in the film. There aren’t a lot of stylized camera tricks but Stillman does capture an atmosphere about what goes on in these debutante parties and the after-parties that can go on for hours. Yet, there is that energy that is just enthralling in these discussions and little games that these people play. Even in the moments when they’re just trying to get ready for the next big event as it is about this group though it’s told largely from the perspective of Tom.

The direction also has Stillman finding some subtle moments in the comedy as it’s more through dialogue and bits of action rather than the typical approach where it’s physical. Particularly as it revolves around scenes involving the growing friendship between Tom and Nick where Nick shows Tom the ropes to act a certain way though it’s obvious that Nick isn’t the right guy to do so. Yet, it adds to Tom’s development where he becomes confused on his actions where he would try to redeem himself with some help from an unexpected individual. Still, there is that element of comedy that occurs in the third act in some of the dialogue and presentation that Stillman has created. Overall, Stillman creates a truly exhilarating and smartly-played comedy about life in transition in the upper class world.

Cinematographer John Thomas does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the look of Manhattan in the holidays in day and night as well as some of more straightforward lighting in the party scenes. Editor Christopher Tellefsen does brilliant work with the editing from some of the rhythmic cuts in the party scenes and in some intense comedic moments as well as some straightforward cutting in some of the discussion scenes. Costume designer Mary Jane Fort does amazing work with the costumes in the look of the debutante dresses many of the women wear that display a transition in time from the 80s to the 90s.

Sound editor Jay Kessel does terrific work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the parties as well as the scenes in Manhattan. The film’s music consists of pieces by Mark Suozzo as well as original cuts by Tom Judson, Jock Davis, Billy Jokes, and Joe B. Warner as it is this wide mix of jazz music as well as some orchestral pieces that plays to this world of the upper class.

The film’s cast is just phenomenal as many of them are just newcomers at the time as it includes some notable small roles from Roger W. Kirby that Tom and Charlie meet at a bar, Alice Connorton as Tom’s mother, Linda Gilles as Audrey’s mother, Stephen Uys as a slimy acquaintance of Rick von Sloneker, and Ellia Thompson as Tom’s ex-girlfriend Serena who is dating Rick as she becomes an object of obsession for Tom. Will Kempe is superb as the despicable Rick von Sloneker who despises Nick as he raises questions about whether Nick was really telling the truth about the girl who killed herself. Isabelle Gilles and Dylan Hundley are wonderful in their respective roles as the flirtatious Cynthia and the more sociable Sally while Bryan Leder is very funny as the alcoholic partier Fred as he is often the most low-key member of the group. Allison Rutledge-Parisi is excellent as Audrey’s best friend Jane who observes everything that goes on as some of the drama that occurs forces her to go out on her own.

Taylor Nichols is amazing as the intellectual Charlie as a man who doesn’t really like Tom for his views and such as the two vie for Audrey’s affections where Nichols also displays a sensitivity to someone who doesn’t know how to talk to girls. Carolyn Farina is great as Audrey as a woman who has this idealized idea of love only to find herself confused when Tom is absorbed in his own world. Edward Clements is marvelous as Tom as a young man confused about his place in the world as he tries to figure things out while feeling foolish over his actions as it concerns Audrey whom he starts to care for. Finally, there’s Chris Eigeman in a remarkable performance as Nick as a young cynic who provides some fascinating viewpoints of the world as he is a man full of contradiction and flaws and is aware of it as Eigeman plays this man with lots of charm.

Metropolitan is an incredible film from Whit Stillman. Thanks to a top-notch ensemble cast that includes Chris Eigeman, Taylor Nichols, Carolyn Farina, and Edward Clements. It is a film that is filled with very provocative yet humorous ideas about life and social classes as well as trying to find a place in the world where failure is expected. It’s also a film that allows audiences to connect with people who may be from a very different world but find reveal that they too don’t have it together. In the end, Metropolitan is a tremendous film from Whit Stillman.

Whit Stillman Films: Barcelona - The Last Days of Disco - Damsels in Distress - Love & Friendship - The Auteurs #21: Whit Stillman

© thevoid99 2013

Kicking and Screaming (1995 film)

Written and directed by Noah Baumbach and from a story by Baumbach and Oliver Berkman, Kicking and Screaming is the story of a group of young people who deal with post-college life as they are unsure of what to do afterwards. The film explores several characters who are on the verge of adulthood as they also deal with life without education and college parties. Starring Josh Hamilton, Carlos Jacott, Chris Eigeman, Olivia d’Abo, Parker Posey, Elliott Gould, and Eric Stoltz. Kicking and Screaming is a delightful yet engaging film from Noah Baumbach.

The film is essentially the story of a group of post-college graduates dealing with life after college as they all figure out what to do while reminiscing their life as students. Leading the pack is Grover (Josh Hamilton) who had just broken up with his girlfriend Jane (Olivia d’Abo) after she decides to take post-graduate study to Prague. Grover spends most of his time with his friends Max (Chris Eigeman), Otis (Carlos Jacott), Skippy (Jason Wiles), and a bartender/student named Chet (Eric Stoltz) as they all go through their own personal odyssey into finding life after school. While Skippy chooses to remain a student with his girlfriend Miami (Parker Posey), Otis becomes unsure of what to do as he eventually takes a job at a video store. Max meanwhile, comments on everything as he is the most unsure of what to do as he and Grover hang around the campus.

Noah Baumbach’s screenplay explores the fear of emerging into adulthood as well as the fear of failure as many of the characters in the film have no idea where they’re going. Throughout the film, Grover reflects on his relationship with Jane as he deals with her phone messages where he would fill his heartbreak by having sex with younger students. Whenever Grover is with his buddies, they do trivia and such while discussing about what to do next in life as Otis is anxious about failure as he forms a friendship with Chet. Chet is a man in his early 30s who often hangs around campus as he is also a bartender where he reveals why he’s still a student in a notable scene between him and Grover. The script also explores the world of relationships as it involves Max dealing with loneliness as he would eventually hook up with an underage student in Kate (Cara Buono).

The script features a unique structure that begins on graduation day and then ends the film during finals. The structure helps unveil how these characters deal with their sense of no direction as it progresses to the point where they begin to learn more about each other and what they really at this stage in life. While there’s a looseness to the story, it still plays to the fact that these people are wandering around just trying to see where they can go or what they need to do to fill their time.

Baumbach’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of the compositions that Baumbach creates as he doesn’t aim for any sense of style. Instead, he chooses to focus on the world of college life as realistic as it is through the perspective of this small ensemble. Not wanting to make something that reveled in sentimentality, Baumbach wanted to make sure that film felt loose in the way he has his actors be present at a location. Whether it’s in the campus, a club, or in the dorms, Baumbach find ways to create some sense of atmosphere in the film where the characters would comment on something or ponder what are they doing here. Baumbach also uses flashback to help tell Grover’s storyline as he pines for Jane by creating scenes where it’s shot in monochrome colors to introduce the flashback. Overall, Baumbach creates a very compelling yet witty film about the world of post-college life.

Cinematographer Steven Bernstein does nice work with the film‘s cinematography to display the colorful world of the college campus along with some stylish lights for some of the film‘s club scenes. Editor J. Kathleen Gibson does excellent work with the editing to create some rhythmic cuts for the conversations including a scene where Kate berates a truck driver. Production designer Dan Whifler and set decorator Gail Bennett do wonderful work with the set pieces such as the house that the guys live in to some of the dorms that Grover visits.

Costume designer Mary Jane Fort does terrific work with the costumes to play out the slacker look of some of the characters along with the more stylish clothes that Miami wears. Sound mixer Ed White does superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the parties as well as the scenes in the bar. The film’s music by Phil Marshall is very good for its electronic score to play out Grover’s flashbacks with Jane. The soundtrack features a wide mix of music that includes Pixies, Blondie, Bob Marley, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Nick Drake, They Might Be Giants, Alex Chilton, and Freedy Johnston.

The casting by Ellie Kanner is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Perrey Reeves and Marissa Ribisi as a couple of students Grover sleeps with, Dean Cameron as a video store manager, Noah Baumbach as a student who asks a very provocative question, Christopher Reed as the Euro-trash student Friedrich, and Elliott Gould in a small but funny role as Grover’s dad. Cara Buono is a delight as the underage student Kate who deals with Parker Posey is wonderful as the outgoing Miami who deals with Skippy’s slacker lifestyle as well as the changing times of the parties. Olivia d’Abo is excellent as the aspiring writer Jane who leaves Grover as she is seen in flashback as someone who confides in Grover over their love of writing.

Jason Wile is very good as the directionless Skippy who decides to enroll again as away to figure out his life. Eric Stolz is great as the very witty and philosophical bartender/student Chet who revels in his experience as a student while basking in the fact that there’s still a lot of things to learn. Carlos Jacott is amazing as the neurotic Otis who deals with the idea that he might face rejection as well as musing on his insecurities as it’s a very funny performance. Chris Eigeman is incredible as the talkative Max who deals with his own lack of direction and social life as he ponders about what to do. Finally, there’s Josh Hamilton in a remarkable performance as Grover who deals with his break-up with Jane as well as his own lack of direction as he tries to finish his own work as a writer.

***Additional DVD Material Written from 1/6/15-1/16/15***

The 2006 Region 1 DVD from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a newly restored high-definition digital transfer under the supervision of its writer/director Noah Baumbach with a new Dolby Digital 5.1 audio remix as the film is given a richer look as well as a broader sound. The special features of the DVD all relates to its production as the first of these supplements is a 12-minute interview with Noah Baumbach. Baumbach discusses the genesis of the script as well as what he wanted to say. He also talked about how it got passed through while discussing how the script would change over the years into the final version of the film. The interview also has Baumbach talking about its production as well as some of the aspects of the marketing which he didn’t like but it did end up helping the film into becoming the cult classic that it is.

The 26-minute conversation between Baumbach and actors Josh Hamilton, Chris Eigeman, and Carlos Jacott has the four talking about the film and the production. Even as they all talk about the characters and the story itself while Baumbach also revealed some of the difficulties that went on in pre-production. The actors talk about their approach to improvisation which added to the film’s comedy as well as their experience in the New York Film Festival in 1995 where it premiered and the film’s difficulty to be marketed to a wide audience. They also talk about its cult and how it managed to endure over the years as the four men are surprised by how good it still is.

One major special feature in the DVD is a 2000 short film entitled Conrad and Butler in “Conrad and Butler Take a Vacation” that stars Carlos Jacott and John Lehr who both wrote the short with Baumbach as it included notes about the short which Baumbach made on digital video in the spring of 2000 as a part of something in the hopes that it would be a TV show and a film that never materialized. It revolves around two guys who had nothing to do as they both take a vacation in the home one of the guys’ grandparents where everything they had planned to do doesn’t happen. It’s a very funny 30-minute short due to the sense of improvisational humor and banter between Jacott and Lehr.

There’s nine minutes of three deleted scenes that is featured where Baumbach explains through text into why they got cut out. The first is a scene between Grover and Jane where Jane revealed she went out with Chet. The second scene involving Grover and Marisa Ribisi’s Charlotte character at a club as it plays to Grover’s aimlessness in sleeping with freshmen college girls as he later meets one of her roommates who is with another guy which becomes awkward. The third and final scene involve Skippy and John Lehr’s Louis character where the latter was supposed to be a bigger character but it got cut as Baumbach created Chet as it plays to Skippy meeting Louis and see what he’s become. The nine-minute brief interview segments with Baumbach and cast members Cara Buono, Chris Eigeman, Olivia d’Abo, Josh Hamilton, and Carlos Jacott for a special on the Independent Film Channel in 1995 basically has everyone talking about the film and their own interpretations of the story as well as their own experiences. The special features also include a theatrical trailer for the film.

The DVD set also features an essay from the famed Chicago-based film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum entitled Reasons for Kicking and Screaming. The essay talks about the film and Baumbach’s approach to humor as well as create something that is real about post-graduate life. Especially as it plays to the world of characters who are overly-intellectual as they would often embark on the realization that they don’t have the answers for everything as well as the fact that they say they’ve read this but haven’t. Rosenbaum talks about the connections Baumbach would have with filmmakers like Whit Stillman and Wes Anderson as the latter is a collaborator of Baumbach. Even as Rosenbaum believes that Baumbach’s greatest influence in the film is Jean Renoir in terms of creating long takes to get the actors comfortable and talk through dialogue easily. It’s a wonderful essay that really gets the film in every way and form.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

Kicking and Screaming is an extraordinary film from Noah Baumbach. Armed with an amazing ensemble cast, witty dialogue, and engaging views on post-college life. It’s a film that revels into the world of pre-adulthood that is filled with great realism and humor as it follows a group of people unsure of where to go. In the end, Kicking and Screaming is an outstanding film from Noah Baumbach.

Noah Baumbach Films: Highball - Mr. Jealousy - The Squid & the Whale - Margot at the Wedding - Greenberg - Frances Ha - While We're Young - Mistress America - De Palma - The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) - Marriage Story - (White Noise (2022 film)) - The Auteurs #41: Noah Baumbach

© thevoid99 2012

Mr. Jealousy

Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, Mr. Jealousy is the story of a writer whose new relationship with a woman is shaken when he learns that her old boyfriend is a famous writer. Filled with jealousy, he follows the man as he pretends to be another person as part of a therapy group. The film explores a man whose insecurities try to have him be compared to his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. Starring Eric Stoltz, Annabella Sciorra, Chris Eigeman, Carlos Jacott, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Brian Kerwin, Bridget Fonda, and Peter Bogdanovich. Mr. Jealousy is a witty adult-comedy from Noah Baumbach.

Aspiring writer/part-time teacher Lester Grimm (Eric Stoltz) has just been introduced to Ramona Ray (Annabella Sciorra) by their friends Vince (Carlos Jacott) and Lucretia (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). After a few successful dates, Lester and Ramona have become a couple as they’re both excited for Vince and Lucretia’s upcoming nuptials. When Ramona divulges her own life to Lester that included a brief affair with a newly-famous writer named Dashiell Frank (Chris Eigeman) during her days in college. Lester reluctantly reads Frank’s new book as he later spots him walking into a group therapy session where Lester accidentally walks into the building as he becomes part of the group therapy under Vince’s name.

Headed by Dr. Poke (Peter Bogdanovich), Lester and Dashiell are among the people in the group of Lester pretends to be Vince as he takes shot at Dashiell’s insecurities while Lester discusses some of Vince’s problems. Though Vince was reluctant to have Lester divulge information, the two do trade secrets about what is happening although nothing secretive is revealed in the therapy sessions. Suddenly, Lester and Dashiell become friends as they discuss their own issues to each other though Lester remains under the name of Vince. After Ramona revealed to Lester about meeting a former boyfriend named Stephen (Brian Kerwin), Lester becomes confused on whether that the woman Dashiell wrote about is Ramona. Vince decides to join the group therapy as a British man named Leo revealing Lester’s jealousy issues to the group making Lester feeling very uncomfortable.

When Ramona becomes suspicious about Lester’s therapy sessions and why he lied about missing a date. She and Lucretia starts to follow Lester and Vince in the therapy sessions where Ramona meets Dashiell as Dashiell later talks about meeting Ramona at a group session leading to a major blow-up for all involved.

The film is about a man with jealousy issues after learning about his new girlfriend’s former relationship with a man that is now a famous writer. Wanting to know this man and see how he can better himself for this woman, he takes part in a group therapy session where things become complicated as his best friend suddenly gets involved to further complicate things. It’s a film where Noah Baumbach explores the world of jealousy as he follows Lester Grimm in this journey as the story is told by a narrator (Noah Baumbach) who divulges into Lester’s past as well as Ramona’s own quirks. The screenplay features characters that all seem to have it together while Lester is the one trying to get past his jealousy issues only to go back into old habits. Largely because he’s faced moments in his young life where he’s been dumped or been unable to express his feelings towards another girl.

In Ramona, she becomes this ideal woman that Lester might feel that she is the one until she reveals all of these lovers she had including Dashiell. This would prompt him to find out about Dashiell where he accidentally follows him as he learns about this man while pretending to be someone else. Yet, Dashiell is revealed to be someone who is having his own issues about himself and admitting that he wasn’t a great person in the past. This would lead to Lester to finally open a bit as he gets to know Dashiell as it would only complicate his jealousy issues and his relationship with Ramaona. It’s a script that is a comedy of manners though at times, it does play off as a bit pompous as the characters are quite high-brow.

Baumbach’s direction is straightforward in terms of its compositions as a lot of is shot in New York City. Many of the compositions in the way Baumbach directs his actors in a frame and have the camera move around to be in the center of these group therapy sessions. The film opens with a prologue of sorts about Lester’s life as the scenes are repeated frame for frame but played by Vince when he plays Leo for the therapy session. Baumbach’s approach to humor is more about the situation and character rather than gags. While the film has a lot of references to films and high art, there is an element of pretentiousness to it that makes the film feel a bit smug at times. Despite the few flaws it has, Baumbach does create a very compelling romantic comedy-drama.

Cinematographer Steven Bernstein does some pretty good work with the photography that is very straightforward for a lot of the interior and exterior shots of NYC and the apartments that the characters live in. Editor J. Kathleen Gibson does some excellent work with the film‘s stylish cutting employing lots of rhythmic cuts, montages, and jump-cuts to play with the film‘s easy-going pacing. Production designer Anne Stuhler, along with set decorator Candis Heiland and art director Roswell Hamrick, does some nice work with the apartments to contrast the different worlds of the more middle-class Lester and the more posh Dashiell.

Costume designer Katherine Jean Bryant does some wonderful work with the costumes that includes some very stylish clothing for Ramona. Sound mixer Jeff Pullman does terrific work with the sound from the intimate moments of the therapy sessions to more raucous moments in a dinner scene. The film’s score by Robert Een is a wonderful mixture of jazz and reggae to play up the humor of the film while the score features some folk-driven pieces performed by the dream-pop band Luna. Assembling the film’s soundtrack is music supervisor William Ewart as he creates a soundtrack that features Georges Delerue, Harry Chapin, and Leonard Cohen.

The casting by Todd M. Thaler is excellent for the ensemble that is created as it includes Eddie Kaye Thomas as a Spanish-language student, Noah and Nico Baumbach as a couple of former dates of Ramona, John Lehr as a friend of Vince and Lester, Brian Kerwin as an ex-boyfriend of Ramona in Stephen, and Bridget Fonda as Dashiell’s stammering girlfriend Irene. Legendary filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich is superb as the very helpful Dr. Poke who leads the group therapy sessions that Lester, Dashiell, and Vince attend. Marianne-Jean Baptiste is very good as Vince’s fiancée Lucretia who wonders about Vince’s comments about therapy. Carlos Jacott is great as Lester’s friend Vince who is interested about Lester’s portrayal for the therapy sessions while he would sport a wonderful British accent as Lester’s doppelganger Leo.

Chris Eigeman is excellent as Dashiell, Ramona’s ex-boyfriend who tries to deal with his own issues as a writer while befriending Lester in the group therapy. Annabella Sciorra is lovely as the superstitious Ramona who tries to deal with Lester’s behavior as their relationship starts to progress. Finally, there’s Eric Stoltz in a remarkable performance as the confused Lester whose jealousy issues have him questioning himself while befriending Dashiell that would further his anxiety over his relationship with Ramona.

Mr. Jealousy is a very good film from Noah Baumbach that features stellar performances from Eric Stoltz, Annabella Sciorra, and Chris Eigeman. While it’s an imperfect film that might be too-high brow for some viewers. It is still a quite engaging comedy that is very smart in its portrayal of young 30-something dealing with love. In the end, Mr. Jealousy is a charming romantic-comedy from Noah Baumbach.

Noah Baumbach Films: Kicking & Screaming - Highball - The Squid & the Whale - Margot at the Wedding - Greenberg - Frances Ha - While We're Young - Mistress America - De Palma - The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) - Marriage Story - (White Noise (2022 film)) - The Auteurs #41: Noah Baumbach

© thevoid99 2012