Kicking and Screaming

Year: 1995 - Trimark Pictures  Director: Noah Baumbach  Screenplay: Noah Baumbach, Oliver Berkman  Starring: Josh Hamilton, Olivia d'Abo, Christopher Eigeman, Carlos Jacott, Parker Posey, Jason Wiles, Eric Stoltz, Cara Buono, and Elliot Gould

The film opens at a graduation party for one of the characters, Max, a philosophy graduate. Max has made no plans, has no job, and is understandably very glum about future. We quickly find that this is the case with Max's friends; Otis, Skippy, and Grover. Otis is staving off the future by going to grad school in Milwaukee. Skippy is going to stick around town to be with his undergraduate girlfriend. Grover was planning on moving to Brooklyn with his girlfriend, Jane, to pursue a writing career. Jane upsets his plans when she accepts a fellowship to study in Prague. Grover belittles Jane's opportunity to study abroad warning her of the kafkaesque consequence; "You will come back a bug!".  A series of poignant flashbacks of Grover and Jane's relationship is a device that helps to drive the film along. As in Whit Stillman's Metropolitan, not much happens in this movie. Basically the film is a series of episodes and encounters that help us gain a little insight into the characters. Each character in turn gains a enough insight about themselves, by the time those first student loan payments are due, to finally go their separate ways.

Max, played by Christopher Eigeman, is acutely aware of his problem and seems the most depressed of all of his friends. Coming from a wealthy family, Max has no real financial worries for the rest of his life. He understands that in America, a man is measured by his occupation rather than by his wealth. While a student, Max could show the world he was in preparation for a career. By majoring in Philosophy he could presumably gain great self-knowledge. He could also be confident there would be no direct application in the real world for this knowledge. To the world, or at least how Max perceives it, he is now just an educated bum. Max spends the entire summer and fall semester either holed up at home doing crossword puzzles or drinking at his old school hangouts. His self loathing becomes so intense that he becomes very impatient and hostile with his friends. He has sex with Skippy's girlfriend, Miami, out of utter loneliness. Surprisingly, Max takes up with a sixteen-year-old high school student, Kate, played by Cara Buono. At a time in his life when his self-esteem is at its lowest, Kate provides Max with the companionship and support he needs. She accepts Max as a person. In something of a reversal of traditional gender roles, Kate is Max's protector. She slowly initiates him into the real world. This is illustrated humorously by his nervous concession to wearing blue jeans.

Carlos Jacott is hilarious as Otis. Otis' main problem is his inability to leave his mother. He goes so far as to defer a semester of grad school to stay near her. Otis has lived at home all through his college years and continues to crave the protection he feels at his home. His obsession with his mother is obvious to everyone, including his boss at the video store, who is writing a movie about an incestuous relationship between a mother and son. The video store clerk job, while menial, is empowering to Otis. His boss holds him in high esteem. Slowly, Otis begins to break some of his ties with his old school friends, like bad habits, and gain enough confidence to finally leave for graduate school.

Skippy, portrayed by Jason Wiles, just wants to hang around school to be near his girlfriend, Miami, played by independent film staple, Parker Posey. Miami, however, starts to lose respect for her boyfriend. When he was an upperclassman student, Skippy was respected and admired by Miami. Now that she is an upperclassman and Skippy is just a full-blown slacker, Miami harbors resentment toward him. He nags her about studying while neglecting his own. As much as she feels she should be included in his circle of friends, he keeps her out. She probably slept with Max as much from hostility toward Skippy, as out of pity for Max. Skippy's anger caused by Miami's cheating is directed more at Max, than Kate. The coupling of his friend with his girl has breached the intimate bonds of the group of friends. Chet, the career student portrayed by Eric Stoltz, adds a nice counterpoint to the rest of the characters. Chet is perfectly happy with his ten years as an undergraduate. Chet takes classes, bar tends, advises students, and discusses points of philosophy with school janitors. He has a high regard for himself, as illustrated by the way he interjects the phrase, "I'm paraphrasing myself here", into discussions. Chet is a paragon for Skippy and a foretoken for Max.

The problem with Grover is a problem with many artists; lack of planning for the future. Grover, played by Josh Hamilton, wants to play his life by ear. When Jane showed the audacity of taking the position at Prague, he sulks and pouts for the next nine months. While his romantic lover calls him long distance just to leave a message, he consoles himself with pathetic dorm sex with freshman girls. When Grover's recently divorced neurotic father, played by Elliot Gould, shows up for a visit, we are given a little insight into the root of Grover's behavior. Amazingly, Grover gives his father a tour of campus, as if Grover was still connected with it. Grover's father cannot give Grover much guidance because his own life is fairly disorganized. His dad's line; "I hate to compromise - find a balance." could just as easily been spoken by Grover himself. Through a series of flashbacks, we are shown how Jane and Grover's relationship develops. We see Grover's reluctance to do anything where he may be rejected; as shown by the attempt at a first kiss with Jane. When Jane leaves for Prague, even though she wants him to come with him, he sees that as rejection. When he tries to seize the moment and fly to Jane, only to be thwarted by his lack of foresight, he sees that also as a rejection. Olivia d'Abo, who plays Jane, is wonderful in this film. Her quirky portrayal of Jane is both funny and very endearing.

Baumbach and Berkman have loaded this movie with plenty of great lines. The film even makes fun of itself. A couple of characters remark on how all of the guys all talk the same way; a common dilemma with writing dialogue (just watch any Woody Allen movie). The criticism Jane has for Grover's short story in a writing class is that all of the good writing and effort has been wasted on a useless story. Some critics have said the same for this film. I don't happen to agree. While this film is no Graduate, anyone who has spent time floundering around after graduation will have an easy time identifying with the characters of this movie.
 

*great lines - "Tidy is a lifestyle choice."
                      "Is that a pajama top? No ...... yes."
                      "You can't drink without ID"
                      "I like a bartender who drinks, otherwise I feel I'm being poisoned."
                      "You need a second interview at Video Planet"
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