NOAH BAUMBACH

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBB.5.  

USA, 1995.  Trimark Pictures, Castleberg Productions, Sandollar Productions.  Story by Noah Baumbach, Oliver Berkman, Screenplay by Noah Baumbach.  Cinematography by Steven Bernstein.  Produced by Joel Kastelberg.  Music by Phil Marshall.  Production Design by Dan Whifler.  Costume Design by Mary Jane Fort.  Film Editing by J. Kathleen Gibson. 

A group of friends graduate college and now have no idea what to do next. Josh Hamilton is dumped by his girlfriend before she takes off to Europe, his roommates are trying to break into the job market without falling back on moving back in with their parents and some of them are even doing their best to stay in school to avoid the matter altogether.  Baumbach should be credited for making a film about students that isn’t a brat pack sexfest with suspiciously pretty teenagers pouting about their relationships for two hours.  He was due to make better works in the future, but this one has moments of chilling poignancy that make it more than just the average Gen-X whinefest.

The Criterion Collection:  #349