God help thee, poor monkey. - Macbeth

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Movie Review: Margot at the Wedding


So, I finally got around to sending back the two Netflix movies that have been sitting around my apartment for months and wasting my money. I got a fresh shipment last night. Trainspotting and Margot at the Wedding. I love Nicole Kidman (much to my mother's chagrin), so I sat down today to relax and enjoy Margot. Unfortunately, I didn't even make it an hour in. I could not stand it and had to turn it off. If there's one thing that I hate, it's independent films that feel the need to present a cold, dreary reality. I hate movies that I cannot enjoy while I'm watching them. None of the characters were likable, and, let's be honest, anyone whose "reality" is that depressing needs a change. Yes, life is not all puppies and rainbows and laughter. We all know that. But there are ways to present that in a film without making you feel like you want to slit your wrists while you watch it. I had thought I would enjoy it, considering the director, Noah Baumbach, worked with Wes Anderson on the screenplay of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, which I loved, but clearly he is a hit or miss kind of guy (similar to Anderson in that sense). And this movie was definitely a miss. I'm sending it back tomorrow, unfinished, so that I can get a more enjoyable movie and for now am happily watching Last Chance Harvey on Netflix's online viewer instead. I'm five minutes into the film and already I'm smiling. This is a good sign. I'm sure the next movie I see Nicole Kidman in (Nine, if all goes according to plan) will be a better investment.

1 comment:

Suzy said...

If I taught you anything, I was hoping it would be that "Life is ALL puppies and rainbows." You're right, I'm not a Nicole Kidman fan. I also dislike films that are relentlessly depressing with unlikeable characters. It doesn't all have to be happy endings, but I think relentlessly depressing is as bad as Hollywood happy endings. Life is somewhere in-between.