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MARGOT AT THE WEDDING: OUR SCRIPT REVIEW (AWARDS PROFILE)

The female roles in "Margot at the Wedding" are written for Awards attention

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By Joey Magidson

Since receiving Best Actress award nominations 2 years straight in 2001 and 2002 (lost for “Moulin Rouge!”, won award for “The Hours”) Nicole Kidman’s film choices have been, well…lacking. She hasn’t had one certifiable “hit” film (with the possible exception of “Cold Mountain”) and in many of these films (The Human Stain, Bewitched, and The Interpreter to name a few) she’s seemed downright bored. Maybe she was just waiting for the right screenwriter or director to give her another meaty role to relish. Fortunately for her, she found both with Noah Baumbach and his follow-up to 2005’s fantastic “The Squid and the Whale”. This film is called “Margot At The Wedding” and after reading the script, I find it hard to believe that she will be denied a 3rd trip to Oscar Land.

“Margot” tells the story of Margot (Kidman) and her son Claude (newcomer Zane Pais) who, oddly enough, are going to a wedding. Margot’s estranged sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is getting married to an odd fellow named Malcolm (Jack Black) and has invited her sister up to their old house in the country to perhaps make amends. By the end of the film, secrets will be revealed, relationships will be changed, and in all likelihood, the audience will leave with a smile on their face.

The script is very similar to Baumbach’s earlier film in that while it’s classified as a comedy, it really is more witty than funny. There are a few comedic high points, mostly involving humorous banter, but a bit involving Margot climbing a tree is a real winner. The strength of this film obviously lies in its writing. This is a true character study. All the people are 3 dimensional and you grow to care about them. I expect the direction to also be as assured and grounded as it was in “Squid”. If the direction matches the writing, then this should no doubt turn out to be a critical hit, an audience favorite, and a sure fire flick for the academy to embrace.

Kidman plays a woman not entirely unlike someone that would pop up in a Woody Allen movie. She’s a train wreck. Intelligent and neurotic, yet we identify with her. This type of role did wonders for Diane Keaton (Annie Hall) and could definitely do the same for Kidman. She never has one real “moment” in which she shines; it really just is a character that is strong throughout.

Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Pauline is a role that was tailor made to win Best Supporting Actress. She gets a great character to play, and if she pulls it off as well as I believe she can, this may be her best performance yet. This is obviously a woman with issues. She’s marrying a loser, has a lot of problems with her family, but really feels a connection with her nephew and in a way, wants to save him from his family. His mother may love him, but she may not be good for him.

Speaking of Margot’s son, he is played by a first time actor named Zane Pais and if this kid has any talent at all, then this character will shine through as the conscience of the film and perhaps be the most memorable character of all.

Finally, we come to Jack Black. This is…wait for it…..a borderline serious role for the man who made us laugh in films like “High Fidelity”. He plays an insecure adult, as opposed to the man-child he usually plays. This is a complex character and I really am interested to see if he can pull it off. If he makes Malcolm come to life like I hope he can, then the front man for Tenacious D may be able to call himself “the academy award winning front man for Tenacious D”.

Overall, this is a literate film that should remind people of Woody Allen’s best as well as Baumbach’s first film. That sounds like a winning combination to me. If the academy agrees with me, then you heard it here first….”Margot At The Wedding” may have another party to go to….an Oscar party.

Possible Nominations:

Best Original Screenplay
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Actress
Best Picture
 

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