Kicking and Screaming (1995)

 
The low-budget debut from Noah Baumbach, who wrote and directed  
from a story cowritten by Oliver Berkman, is a rambling, ambling  
affair that wouldn't be out of place as a pilot for an NBC tele- 
vision series.  The main characters-- a quartet of recent liberal  
arts grads-- spend most of movie engaged in idle chit chat, while  
trying to adjust to the grim realities of Life After College.  Sound  
familiar?  A nice cast of fresh faces-- including Josh Hamilton,  
Olivia D'Abo, and Eric Stoltz-- helps to offset the, uh, Spartan  
production values.  (Underlighting and poor sound recording are the  
two chief demerits.)  Castleberg has a *great* ear for dialogue,  
though, and however low the budget, his handling of the hilarious  
will leave you laughing *with* and not *at* this movie. (Rated  
"R"/~100 min.) 
 
Grade: B- 

Copyright 1996 by Michael J. Legeros

Originally posted to triangle.movies