I imagine most people are not going to enjoy sitting through this movie. That's not to say it is a bad movie, but instead to say that it is the sort of keenly observational film that will put people at unease by showing off parts of life and behavior that a lot of people would rather not admit were there.
 Writer/director Noah Baumbach has a discomforting knack for observing neurotic behavior and dragging it into the spotlight. Shoved into that harsh light, the neurosis will either make people laugh or cringe, possibly both at the same time. The prime sources of neurosis in this film are Margot (Nicole Kidman) and her sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Margot has not spoken to her sister in years but has arrived with her son Claude (Zane Pais) in tow to witness the marriage of Pauline to Malcolm (Jack Black). Margot left her husband at home, possibly to fool around with former lover Dick (Ciaran Hinds).
At first it seems like a happy reunion of sisters, but appearances can be deceiving. It quickly becomes clear that their separation has nothing to do with a big blow up in their past but instead the brutal running game of emotionally savaging one another with comments that seem somewhat innocuous but are really a way to use the truth to batter the other sister. For a time it even seems unintentional until you realize both of them do it and are so engaged in this pursuit they never notice how much of it is observed and absorbed by their kids.
I'm not going to waste much time on describing the plot because there really isn't one. The movie simply describes what happens over the course of a few days when these two are put together. It is full of subplots but all are slid into the story in a way that indicates they are just odd little parts of these people's lives that will not be fully explained. The style of the film is observational. It isn't trying to tell us a story or give us all the informational. It just watches these people and lets us come to our own conclusions about them. And that is exactly what will make a lot of people uncomfortable. Baumbach's seemingly effortless ability to translate all of our least proud personality quirks to the screen for all to see is not the sort of thing that makes many people giddy with joy. It makes them squirm and try to deny just how familiar it seems. Sometimes you would really rather a mirror not be held up to life.
Kidmon and Leigh are great with this material. They seem to be able to wield those cutting barbs with enviable accuracy and absorb the damage with hurt dignities that can only be salved by striking back. In other words, they could just as easily be working each over and just letting Baumbach film it. That's how natural it feels. I found Jack Black a little off putting though. He seems out of step with this material, but then again, his character is not cut from the same cloth as the sisters, so maybe he's doing exactly the right thing. It did feel like he was really having to work at it though. Usually his natural energy carries him through films without a scratch but in this movie it seemed like he was looking for a wall to bounce off of that just wasn't there.
So if you are the sort of person who might have the tendency to put down other people with brutal honesty or veiled vicious comments, you might not find this particularly pleasant a movie to watch. If you know people like that, you might get a kick out of them exposed like Vegas strippers.
- John Shea
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