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Kicking and Screaming

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 6 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Comedy | Drama
Written by:
Noah Baumbach (also story)
Oliver Berkman (story)
Directed by: Noah Baumbach
Release Date:
Theatrical: October 6, 1995
DVD: August 22, 2006
Running Time: 96 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for strong language, and some sexuality
Starring Josh Hamilton, Eric Stoltz, Olivia d'Abo, Chris Eigeman, Parker Posey, Carlos Jacott, Cara Buono, and Jason Wiles
A group of four male friends seem to be going through mid-life crises in their post-college years as they approach adulthood kicking and screaming.
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Margot at the Wedding The Squid and the Whale
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
There's plenty of wit on the surface, but the pain of paralysis comes through loud and clear.
Read Full Review >Newsweek David Ansen
A witty movie -- with a fine ear for the undertone of aimless chatter -- that never raises its voice to make hollow Gen-X proclamations.
Read Full Review >Time Richard Corliss
But the writer-director is canny enough to salt the stew with poignance, so that by the end these attitude machines have become human beings -- more than the sum of their chiseled jokes.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
Like the stationary figures it portrays, Kicking And Screaming is alive at the edges; it comes with a vibrant border of trenchant asides, tossed-off remarks that blend the solace of protective irony with the sterner stuff of hard truth.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
The final affirmation of this romance is really an affirmation of Baumbach's talent: that a young filmmaker fixated on the solipsistic rituals of guyhood understands the hearts of women, too.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
Baumbach surely does make these characters, all of whom are impeccably acted, absolutely real, but at 25 he may be too close to the material to achieve the detachment from which irony and meaning flow.
Read Full Review >The New Yorker Bruce Diones
The picture has a lovely, understated autobiographical lilt.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Hal Hinson
As a writer, Baumbach loves smart, glib talk, and he has a sharp ear for fast-paced, overlapping dialogue; as a director, though, he prefers long takes that allow his characters to work out their feelings.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
Written and directed by newcomer Noah Baumbach with an excellent ear for absurdity and a keen eye for the offhand realities of everyday life in a den of unmitigated slack.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Kicking and Screaming doesn't have much of a plot, but of course it wouldn't; this is a movie about characters waiting for their plots to begin.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
Scenes move from hurt to resigned laughter and ring poignantly true. The heroically unfashionable result is a minor but distinct pleasure.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Elvis Mitchell
The film succeeds in finding something sweetly romantic and visually fresh in Grover's flashback memories of Jane, along with allowing Grover plenty of room for wisecracks.
Read Full Review >Variety Greg Evans
The director is more successful in setting an easy, low-key tone, with nicely framed shots and subtle camera movements downplaying the script's pretensions.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
It’s a nice debut piece for director Baumbach, despite the film’s reliance on the twentysomething blues formula.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
We've seen this story so many times that it's starting to wear thin. In many ways, Kicking and Screaming is mildly enjoyable, but all it really does is go over old ground with new characters.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Staff(not credited)
First-time director Noah Baumbach seems to have learned everything he knows about the world from MTV, and his style suggests that he's taken a lot of notes at Whit Stillman and Hal Hartley pictures.
Read Full Review >USA Today Mike Clark
Moviegoers of rarefied sensibilities will easily identify this anti-captain-of-industry as a "typical Eric Stoltz role," just as moviegoers of extremely rarefied sensibilities will pick up on Kicking's "typical Chris Eigeman role." [23 Oct 1995, Pg.06.D]
San Francisco Examiner Barbara Shulgasser
Baumbach is obviously a bright man, but this material is too thin for anything more than a slight New Yorker short story about thoughtful screw-ups.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Eric O. gave it a10:
I just love this film. Witty, brainy, full of heart. What a wonderful achievement.
Patrick L. gave it a10:
Best movie ever. Watch it over and over again!!
Joseph K. gave it a10:
Classic movie, just released on DVD.
