[5]

Two volatile sisters reunite for the younger one’s wedding, causing secrets to be revealed and relationships to fray. This Noah Baumbach (Kicking and Screaming, The Squid and the Whale) flick is very character-centered as you might expect — a good vehicle for Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh as the two sisters. Newcomer Zane Pais, as Kidman’s awkward teenaged son, gets as much screen time as either of the leading ladies while Jack Black tries his hand at dramedy. Baumbach is able to achieve a very realistic ease in the characters’ dialogue and confrontations. The mother/son dynamic between Kidman and Pais is the most interesting part of the movie — so frank as to be uncomfortable. The execution is to commendable, but the characters are a little too self-absorbed and quirky for me to latch onto.