I dunno...

Went out Friday night with the wife to see The Squid and the Whale after a fine dinner provided by the PHS Key Club (picking up a tradition that'd been lost for a while).

I don't know exactly how I feel about the film. It'd finely acted by all involved. Jeff Daniels has been receiving a ton of critical praise for his performance, and it's deserved, as is Laura Linney. The two children in the film also do a great job, but I'm not so sure about the story and any meaning I'm supposed to get from the film.

The film is about the divorce of two New York City writers and what it does to their two sons. It's not meant to be a complete picture of the divorce and its effects, particularly as the entire movie focuses on probably a two- or three-week time period (which fits its 23-day shoot), and the thing that left me coldest at the end was the lack of resolution in the film. The good guys don't win, the bad guys don't win, the parents don't get back together, and the kids don't come to any real understanding or coping with the situation. In that, it's much more like what a real divorce situation would be like, I guess, but that doesn't mean it's something I'd like to watch.

The movie is funny in parts - hilariously so - and tough and a fair bit akward to watch at times, as well, particularly as the younger son goes through some serious acts of misbehavior in response to his parents' separation. For me, the best part of the film was the thorough (re)creation of a mid-80's NYC liberal family complete with time-appropriate clothing, tennis references (a personal fave of mine were the descriptions of the various pro players by Daniels's character), and amazingly permissive parenting attitudes.

I don't know that I'd recommend this film even though I will say that it's very well made, and the majority of reviews say that it's a fine film.

And if anybody has any thoughts about the title and its possibly allegorical ties to the parents in the film, I'm open to suggestion, because it's got me stumped.