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Margot Annoys at the Wedding

'Annoying' or well crafted? Critics are split

By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 23, 2007 3:46 PM CST

(Newser) – The estranged sisters at the heart of Noah Baumbach's talky Margot at the Wedding are well portrayed but just too unlikable to win over most critics. Nicole Kidman's short-story writer Margot, who Newsweek's David Ansen calls a  "brittle nightmare," descends on the wedding of her pregnant sister, Jennifer Jason Leigh, who's made the unfortunate decision to marry Jack Black.

Ansen nonetheless praises the film's psychological astuteness and its "darting, spontaneous style," reminiscent of the French New Wave. Lou Lumenick of the New York Post is less enchanted, calling it "a ham-fisted, faux-French" approach to "ugly and annoying" characters, and David Denby of the New Yorker finds the film "sensually as well as dramatically impoverished."

Actresses Jennifer Jason Leigh, left, and Nicole Kidman attend a Cinema Society and Allure hosted special screening of Margot At The Wedding at the Tribeca Grand, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007 in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
Actresses Jennifer Jason Leigh, left, and Nicole Kidman attend a Cinema Society and Allure hosted special screening of "Margot At The Wedding" at the Tribeca Grand, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007 in New York....   (Associated Press)
Nicole Kidman stars in 'Margot at the Wedding.
Nicole Kidman stars in 'Margot at the Wedding."   (© Paramount Vantage)
Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jack Black star in Margot at the Wedding.
Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jack Black star in "Margot at the Wedding."   (© Paramount Vantage)
From left, actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, director Noah Baumbach and actress Nicole Kidman attend a Cinema Society and Allure hosted special screening of Margot At The Wedding at the Tribeca Grand, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007 in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
From left, actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, director Noah Baumbach and actress Nicole Kidman attend a Cinema Society and Allure hosted special screening of "Margot At The Wedding" at the Tribeca Grand, Thursday,...   (Associated Press)
Actresses Jennifer Jason Leigh, left,  and Nicole Kidman attend a Cinema Society and Allure hosted special screening of Margot At The Wedding at the Tribeca Grand, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007 in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
Actresses Jennifer Jason Leigh, left, and Nicole Kidman attend a Cinema Society and Allure hosted special screening of "Margot At The Wedding" at the Tribeca Grand, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007 in New York....   (Associated Press)
Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Pauline, whose wedding brings the return of estranged sister Margot (Nicole Kidman).
Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Pauline, whose wedding brings the return of estranged sister Margot (Nicole Kidman).   (Getty Images)
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