Kicking and Screaming

"Kicking and Screaming" is Noah Baumbach's debut comedy (with a twist of drama), originally released in 1995. My original interest in the film derived from how much I love Baumbach's later work "The Squid and the Whale." Later, I saw the cover when digging through DVDs put out by the Criterion Collection, and when I realized that it was available from streaming from Netflix, the table was set.

The plot of the film is nearly untraceable, if not almost non-existent. The story begins with several friends celebrating their college graduation (for one character, not his first). At this party, the young men realize that they are at a crossroads, and from that point on they spend the rest of their time trying to figure out what to do with their lives, whether it be writing, starting a book club, or (ironically) going back to college and taking all the classes they couldn't take earlier. Meanwhile, Grover - our dubious protagonist - is also trying to work out his feelings regarding his estranged girlfriend, who has moved to Europe rather than join him in stasis. The emotion reaches its climax when Grover, finally deciding to take action, attempts to buy a ticket to join his girlfriend in Europe only to be foiled by lack of a passport.

Considering it was merely his rookie work, Baumbach's "Kicking and Screaming" is impressive. Granted, the production is very low-fi, but that factor can be overlooked. Chris Eigeman, Eric Stoltz, and Josh Hamilton all bring their characters to life without over-acting or forcing the drama.

The film does not have a clearly linear narrative. It's more episodic and random, punctuated by recurring motifs such as the characters' inability to find their IDs when they need them (symbolizing, not so complexly, their inability to "find their identities"). Still, the film subtly builds to a climax in which you can't help but feel Grover's despair when - once again - he cannot move forward because he does not have the proper ID.

The writing of the film is rough and unrefined. The characters - especially the minor characters - tend to blend together into one indistinguishable list. The main characters themselves seem somewhat interchangeable - most of the dialogue could be delivered by any of the characters. The direction of the story is impossible to grasp as the film unwinds, although that may have been a point of style considering the characters themselves lack any direction. Either way, it dragged the movie to a crawl at points. It's also hard to figure out whether it's supposed to be a comedy with dramatic moments or a drama with moments of comedy.

Overlooking these flaws, "Kicking and Screaming" is enjoyable. Clearly, Baumbach was developing the style that he now relies on and setting himself up for his later success.