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Margot at the Wedding: Just Plain Bleak

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:45:35 -0800

At the end of writer/director Noah Baumbach's 2005 film The Squid and the Whale, I felt exhausted - but not in a bad way. That slice-of-life film focusing on a Brooklyn family in the midst of the parents' separation is at times depressing and hard to watch. At the end, however, there's a moment that feels redemptive and almost hopeful. Margot at the Wedding marks Baumbach's follow-up to Squid in the Whale and has extremely similar themes and characters with one key difference: there is no real redemption to this movie.

Nicole Kidman plays Margot, a Manhattan author and mother to a teenage boy named Claude (Zane Pais). Margot and Claude travel together to Margot's childhood home where her sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) now lives and where she's about to marry the schlubby Malcolm (Jack Black). Once they're together again, the movie mostly centers on Margot and Pauline's relationship, Margot and Claude's relationship and Margot's strained relationship with her husband - and her relationship to men in general. That's basically it for plot, but there is still more to talk about so read more

Baumbach explores similar territory here as he does in Squid and the Whale, only this movie is way harder to enjoy. There's the selfish, hypocritical mother (Margot) who has a seemingly close relationship with her teenage son, though she often randomly slings insults his way. She and her sister examine their childhoods, their daddy issues, their sexual pasts, none of which is all that interesting for anyone else (audience included) to hear. The boy, attempting to navigate young adulthood and trying to grasp the rockiness of his parents' marriage, is an innocent. There are a few references to his sexual exploration, but nothing nearly so squirmy as what goes on in Baumbach's Squid.

Baumbach is clearly preoccupied with a few key topics in general: family dynamics at a turbulent juncture in the parents' marriage, and mother-son relationships (particularly when the mother is self-obsessed and rather heartless). In both films Baumbach also ridicules overeducated and snobbish - though not necessarily elite - members of New York society. These characters (both parents in Squid, Margot in Margot) are shown to be know-it-alls, deeply hypocritical and cold.

I patiently waited through the hour and a half with these characters, most of whom are either clueless (Malcolm), helpless (Pauline, Claude) or downright hateful (Margot), expecting some sort of golden ray of hope at the end. Just a glimmer would have done it, a speck of glitter stuck haphazardly to this story that is dreary despite there being no actual crisis. It really is simply an example of how bleak and pointless life is - even when nothing is really wrong.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Vantage

Nicole, Adrian and Helena at the Premiere

Molly — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:41:34 -0800

Fresh off her hot night at the CMAs Nicole Kidman looked kinda freezing (not to be confused with frigid) at the NYC premiere of Margot at the Wedding last night. No wonder why she didn't take off her coat. Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Adrian Grenier were similarly bundled up, but not Helena Christensen. Because supermodels do not feel cold, obviously. Also, rewinding for a second, Adrian looks a little, shall we say, squinty eyed in his white pants. Methinks he was really enjoying himself at the premiere. Good times.

To see more of the premiere including Howard Stern, Katie Lee Joel, Noah Baumbach and others just read more

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Images include Adrian Grenier, Beth Ostrosky, Daphne Zuniga, Helena Christensen, Howard Stern, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Katie Lee Joel, Nicole Kidman, Noah Baumbach

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Keith Recovers Quickly To Stand By Nicole's Side

PopSugar — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:57:24 -0700

Nicole hit the red carpet solo for the premiere of Margot at the Wedding, but Keith was back by her side to walk her around NYC this weekend. He looks all cleaned up since his motorcycle accident (certainly in better shape than post-crash Clooney), but maybe that's because the incident wasn't as bad as it seemed. Nicole claims the whole thing was blown out of proportion, saying, “He didn’t really have an accident at all. That was a bit of an exaggeration. It was a little mishap. He’s safe and sound.” Whatever the case may be, we're just happy to see that Keith didn't suffer any serious injuries.

Lots more pics including Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming so just read more

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Images include Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Noah Baumbach, Halley Feiffer, Alan Cumming, Zane Pais and Flora Cross.

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Nicole Kidman Owns The Red Carpet

Molly — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 09:03:37 -0700

Nicole Kidman premiered her new movie, Margot at the Wedding, at the New York film festival last night looking glamorous and regal in black and white. Fresh off his motorcycle accident, her husband Keith wasn't by her side, but Nicole has more than enough presence to work the red carpet all by herself. Nicole looks stunning in black, but there is something ethereal (and a little bit mannequin-y?) about the white - which do you like better?

To see more of Nicole in Black and White just read more

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First Look: Nicole Kidman in Margot at the Wedding

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Noah Baumbach is the young director whose indie film The Squid and the Whale (starring Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney) was weirdly fascinating. Embracing the look and feel of Brooklyn in the 1980s, it was a difficult family drama that often made me laugh or feel uncomfortable (or, at times, accomplished both those things at the same time). Baumbach's latest venture, Margot at the Wedding, appears to have precisely the same style and feeling as Squid, and again deals with strained familial relationships.

Nicole Kidman plays Margot whose sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is marrying the slightly schlubby Malcolm (Jack Black, curiously trying his hand at a dramatic role). Margot, clearly not enjoying a smooth relationship with her sister, has some reservations about this union.

Margot at the Wedding opens October 19. To see the trailer (in which Kidman is back to her beautiful redheaded self), read more

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Nicole Hopes for the Best

PopSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:00:27 -0800

Nicole Kidman headed to ABC studios in NYC today to promote Margot at the Wedding after the big premiere last night. Nicole's latest movies haven't been her biggest hits, but she's hopeful that things will change in the upcoming year with Margot as well as The Golden Compass. That said, she's learned that one of the most important parts of being an actor is learning to take everything in stride, saying,

"Because time is so precious, you go, 'I wish I hadn't spent my time trying that.' But you never know how something is going to turn out. You always strive to make a good movie. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You step into something with the best of intentions and you hope. I think that kind of approach to a career, and a life, is the healthiest way to be. You just keep moving forward and try to view the world with compassion, yeah."

Nicole has definitely been through a lot, both professionally and personally and we think she has the right attitude for staying positive and keeping herself grounded.

More of Nicole all dressed in black so just read more

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Sugar Shout Out: Thanksgiving Table Toppers

PopSugar — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:03:25 -0800

Let's get crafty! DIY place card holders
Table inspiration: Thanksgiving settings
Be sure to enter TeamSugar's turkey trot challenge
Fab read: Tom Ford
Frida Kahlo launches makeup collection... from the afterlife
Movie review: Margot at the Wedding
Baby bump: my brest friend
Dear poll: Have you ever had a secret lover?
Holiday fit tip: work those quads
To the rescue: counting calories for dogs
Santa scars children for life
Geek tip: manage Netflix from your iPhone

Which Lipstick Do You Like Better on Helena Christensen?

BellaSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:00:08 -0800

Last night at the Margot at the Wedding premiere, Helena Christensen arrived sporting one of this season's hottest beauty trends, bold red lips. Last month she graced the black carpet at the 30 Days of Night premiere with a similar hairstyle, but with barely-there lip gloss. Which lipstick do you prefer on Helena - or should I say, which color do you think makes her amazing eyes stand out more?

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How Do You Prefer Jack Black's Hair?

BellaSugar — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:00:09 -0800

Check out the blond-haired, clean-shaven Jack Black at the Margot At The Wedding premiere in Los Angeles this weekend. He's a cutie any way you slice him... but the look doesn't seem natural since somebody forgot to tell him to lighten up his eyebrows a little bit, too! Compare it to this "royal" look with natural brown hair and scruff at the Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny premiere. Which hair color do you think looks better on the hilarious Mr. Black?

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