The Squid and the Whale

Play trailer

1:39

The Squid and the Whale

R

2005

1h 20m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

150 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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Kirk Honeycutt

The Hollywood Reporter

01/05/2006

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

Go to Full Review

Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

12/06/2005

4/5

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

Go to Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

12/06/2005

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.

Go to Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

08/19/2023

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 ...

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

05/31/2023

3.5/4

Marital discord receives an innovative treatment in this impressive feature.

Go to Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

07/18/2020

6/10

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 22

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See more

Tony L

01/19/2025

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

See more

Richard B

@RichardB12314 01/02/2025

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

See more

Randy W

11/06/2024

I find it hard to beleive the Popcorn meter gave this a high rating. It was one of the crummiest movies I have seen all year.

See more

Mason M

09/10/2024

An amazing film that's brutally honest and probably does a good job at showing being a child of divorced parents in the 1980s. The Squid And The Whale is easily Noah Baumbach's best film, having amazing handheld camerawork by Robert Yeoman, and never overstayed it's welcome. The highlights are definitely the opening and closing, with the opening perfectly portraying the family dynamics through a simple game of tennis, and the closing being one of my favorites of all time.

See more

Dani G

03/11/2024

Much in the style of the director, a little, intimate funny film about human relations

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

1:49

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

1:45

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

1:59

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

1:17

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

1:17

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

1:50

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

2:11

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

1:42

View more videos

Imaginary Heroes

34%

81%

Imaginary Heroes

Watchlist

Forty Shades of Blue

63%

44%

Forty Shades of Blue

Watchlist

The Door in the Floor

67%

64%

The Door in the Floor

Watchlist

Winter Solstice

61%

43%

Winter Solstice

Watchlist

Bubble

72%

61%

Bubble

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

What to Watch with Flack Star Anna Paquin

Watch Online: Pulp Fiction, Jaws, Wedding Crashers and More Certified Fresh Movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime

On DVD This Week: Hell or High Water, Kubo and the Two Strings, and More

The Squid and the Whale: Trailer 1

1:39

View more videos

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now