Kicking and Screaming (1995)

Director:

Noah Baumbach

Writers:

Noah Baumbach (story) &
Oliver Berkman (story) ...

Release Date:

6 October 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Anxiety loves company.

Plot:

Following graduation, a handful of college students do nothing and talk about it wittily.

Plot Keywords:

College | College Graduation | Bar | Twenty Something | Flashback Sequence

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Josh Hamilton	...	Grover
Samuel Gould	...	Pete (as Sam Gould)
Catherine Kellner	...	Gail
Jonathan Baumbach	...	Professor
John Lehr	...	Louis
Olivia d'Abo	...	Jane
Peter Czernin	...	Lester
Carlos Jacott	...	Otis
Chris Eigeman	...	Max
Eric Stoltz	...	Chet
Eliza Roberts	...	Josselyn
Jason Wiles	...	Skippy
Parker Posey	...	Miami
Christopher Reed	...	Friedrich (as Chris Reed)
Noah Baumbach	...	Danny

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, and some sexuality.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:R (certificate #33770) | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | UK:15 (video premiere) | Singapore:PG (cut)

Filming Locations:

Occidental College -1600 Campus Road, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Trimark Pictures

Trivia:

According to Noah Baumbach at the Lincoln Center anniversary screening, there was another actor scheduled to play the lead role who dropped out at the last minute, prompting Tri-mark to tell him to 'find a star' or they'd cancel the movie. Baumbach quickly faxed his good friend Eric Stolz who was filming Rob Roy in Scotland, and got him to sign on to the movie even though there was no character written for him. They created the character of Chet together, doing a lot of improvisation, in particular the famous 'book club' scene.

Quotes:

Chet: How do you make God laugh? Make a plan.

Movie Connections:

References The Crow (1994)

Soundtrack:

The Question of Love

Funny, resonant and worth checking out

This is simply the best "Big Chill" movie since, well, "The Big Chill." The cast is terrific; the writing is even better. I've seen Josh Hamilton in several other films, but somehow he never has caught my eye except in this role (interestingly monnikered Grover, by the by). What makes this film work above the usual rabble of 20-something angst films is that you genuinely understand, can relate to, and feel for the characters. And the bits of business that have nothing to do with the "main" storyline, Grover's, are every bit as amusing and resonant. Highlights: Eric Stoltz and Carlos Jacott's "book club." Chris Eigeman ducking the "cookie guy." Carlos Jacott trying to remember the last "Friday the 13th" film. Any scene involving Parker Posey. I think I've watched this film about 10 times in completion. The ending, I've watched about 30 times. It's that good. I don't think I've ever seen a more tender, memorable, perfect scene than the parting one between Hamilton and Olivia D'Abo, where she takes out her retainer, smiles shyly at him and then there's a fabulous music cue that leads us into...the unknown. Of course, we know the ending, because Jane and Grover's fate has basically been the subject of the whole film, but the way Baumbach ties all of this together is truly inspired. Grover's speech at the airline ticket counter may be the best monologue in the history of cinema. Am I gushing irrationally here? Perhaps a little. But this film needs to be seen and recognized as the little gem (that's often better than anything else in the same genre done by a major studio/director) that it is.