The Squid and the Whale (2005)

'Pretty good film, my brother... Great cast, my brother.... If you're wondering, I was only doing Billy Baldwin's character here. What a lovable and hatable buffoon.

The Squid and the Whale is Noah Baumbach's breakout film. It is an engaging, emotional story about the affects that divorce has on older children, as well as a coming-of-age story about discovering one's sexuality. The characters are real and quirky in unique ways. Eisenberg's character, for instance specializes in plagiarizing Pink Floyd songs. Kline acts out emotionally by spreading his seed throughout the school. Both take sides, with either parent, throughout the conflict. Baumbach has a way of making unlikable characters fascinating, no matter how boring or depraved.

Also, any film that uses an old, random School House Rock song as part of the soundtrack is immediately awesome in my book.