The Squid and the Whale

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The Squid and the Whale

R

2005

1h 20m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

147 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

A pair of brothers living in Brooklyn are caught in the middle of, and deeply affected by, the divorce of their erudite parents, Bernard (Jeff Daniels) and Joan Berkman (Laura Linney). Older sibling Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) sides with dad and acts out at school, while younger brother Frank (Owen Kline) quietly backs up mom. The household tension rises further when Joan's writing career takes off and surpasses the failed ambitions of her professor ex-husband.

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Critics Consensus

This is a piercingly honest, acidly witty look at divorce and its impact on a family.

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Kirk Honeycutt

The Hollywood Reporter

Jan 5, 2006

A wry exercise in acute observation and emotional distancing, Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale represents what's best in autobiographical filmmaking.

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Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

Dec 6, 2005

4/5

It's the sort of film that's bound to be labeled modest, but it packs a hefty emotional wallop.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Dec 6, 2005

3.5/4

The Squid and the Whale is essentially about how we grow up by absorbing what is useful in our parents and forgiving what is not.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Aug 19, 2023

The humor is lacerating and the scenes uncomfortably raw and revealing. Baumbach edits it all with a ruthless intensity, fearlessly cutting to the essence of scenes ...

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

May 31, 2023

3.5/4

Marital discord receives an innovative treatment in this impressive feature.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Jul 18, 2020

6/10

It's a medium film about parental measures. [Full review in Spanish]

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Gareth V

@geewah Oct 16, 2026

A brilliant little film: brisk, bitter, hilarious and full of truth. It’s an uncomfortable watch with some thoroughly unlikeable people, and it’s all the better for it.

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Chris M

@RT56768559 Oct 13, 2026

The theme of the movie centers around the complexities that arise when parents divorce and have pre-adult children. I didn't find anything noteworthy about the movie except that people who play tennis could never be as bad at ping-pong as depicted in the movie--NEVER!

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 17, 2026

The Squid and the Whale = a *4* star Movie!

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 22, 2025

Success in 1 1/3 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Language, Graphic Dialogue and Strong Sexual Content!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $7,400,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy 20th anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Tony L

@RT53135953 Jan 19, 2025

The movie was doing ok until the part when you get prepared for the resolution of the conflict and then you see: The End. It leaves you wandering, what happened! The climax is week and the end is non existing, as I said

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Richard B

@RichardB12314 Jan 2, 2025

Dysfunctional upper class family going through a divorce. The humor is spread out neatly so it ends up being a drama-dy.

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Noah Baumbach

Director

Jeff Daniels

Bernard Berkman

Laura Linney

Joan Berkman

Jesse Eisenberg

Walt Berkman

Owen Kline

Frank Berkman

William Baldwin

Ivan

The Squid and the Whale: Official Clip - It's Our House

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The Squid and the Whale: Official Clip - A Family Meeting

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The Squid and the Whale: Official Clip - Then I'm a Philistine

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The Squid and the Whale: Official Clip - Mom and Me Vs. You and Dad

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The Squid and the Whale: Official Clip - Seeing the Squid and the Whale

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The Squid and the Whale: Official Clip - You're Calling Me a Bitch?

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The Squid and the Whale: Official Clip - I Did Try Everything

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The Squid and the Whale: Official Clip - Breaking Up With Sophie

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The Squid and the Whale: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A pair of brothers living in Brooklyn are caught in the middle of, and deeply affected by, the divorce of their erudite parents, Bernard (Jeff Daniels) and Joan Berkman (Laura Linney). Older sibling Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) sides with dad and acts out at school, while younger brother Frank (Owen Kline) quietly backs up mom. The household tension rises further when Joan's writing career takes off and surpasses the failed ambitions of her professor ex-husband.

Director: Noah Baumbach
Producer: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, Peter Newman
Screenwriter: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach
Distributor: IDP Distribution
Production Co: Emerging Pictures
Rating: R (Language|Graphic Dialogue|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 5, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.4M
Runtime: 1h 20m

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