Margot at the Wedding (2007)

Director:

Noah Baumbach

Writer (WGA):

Noah Baumbach (written by)

Release Date:

21 February 2008 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

One family. Infinite degrees of separation.

Plot:

Margot and her son Claude decide to visit her sister Pauline after she announces that she is getting married to less-than-impressive Malcolm. In short order, the storm the sisters create leaves behind a a mess of thrashed relationships and exposed family secrets.

Plot Keywords:

Secret | Jealousy | Neighbor | Marital Problem | Tree

Awards:

2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Zane Pais	...	Claude
Susan Blackwell	...	Woman on Train
Nicole Kidman	...	Margot
Jack Black	...	Malcolm
Flora Cross	...	Ingrid
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Pauline
Seth Barrish	...	Toby
Matthew Arkin	...	Alan
Brian Kelley	...	Bruce
Christian Hansen	...	Fireman
Michael Cullen	...	Mr. Vogler
Enid Graham	...	Mrs. Vogler
Sophie Nyweide	...	Vogler Daughter
Justin Roth	...	Vogler Son
Ciarán Hinds	...	Dick Koosman
Halley Feiffer	...	Maisy Koosman
Jonathan Schwartz	...	Malcolm's Friend
John Turturro	...	Jim
Lisa Emery	...	Woman with Dog
Michael Medeiros	...	Karaoke Singer
Ashlie Atkinson	...	Becky
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alexander Emmet	...	Hot Guy / Bar Couple (uncredited)
Chuck Gerena	...	Man in Bar / Street (uncredited)
Tyler Kelley	...	Orphanage Kid #2 (uncredited)

Directed by
Noah Baumbach

Writing credits (WGA)
Noah Baumbach		(written by)

Produced by
Blair Breard	....	co-producer (as M. Blair Breard)
Scott Rudin	....	producer

Cinematography by
Harris Savides

Film Editing by
Carol Littleton

Casting by
Douglas Aibel

Production Design by
Anne Ross

Art Direction by
Adam Stockhausen

Set Decoration by
Debra Schutt

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Michal Bigger	....	makeup department head
Lori Guidroz	....	hair department head
Wayne Herndon	....	hair stylist: Ms. Kidman
Angela Levin	....	makeup artist: Ms. Kidman
Roz Music	....	hair stylist: Mr. Black
Roz Music	....	makeup artist: Mr. Black
Patricia Regan	....	assistant makeup artist
Kerry Warn	....	hair designer: Ms. Kidman

Production Management
David Bausch	....	production supervisor
Blair Breard	....	unit production manager (as M. Blair Breard)
Sarah Connors	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joe Camp III	....	first assistant director
Michael T. Meador	....	second assistant director
Kenyon Noble	....	second second assistant director
Andrea O'Connor	....	second second assistant director
Jono Oliver	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Robert Barnett	....	on-set painter (as Bob Barnett)
Stephen Barth	....	scenic
Peter Bundrick	....	chief carpenter
Philip Canfield	....	leadperson
Pat Cocuzzo	....	construction grip
Abe Costanza	....	shop scenic
Ruth Deleon	....	on-set dresser (as Ruth Ann DeLeon)
Katy Dilkes	....	scenic (as Kathleen B. Dilkes)
Maus Drechsler	....	property assistant (as Ana Katharina Drechsler)
Kristin Emery	....	scenic (as Kristen Emery)
Chris Ferraro	....	set dresser
Nir Gaon	....	scenic
Gilbert Gertsen	....	greens (as Gilbert H. Gertsen)
Gordon Gertsen	....	greens (as Gordon H. Gertsen)
Jonathan Graham	....	chief construction grip
Chris Heaps	....	set dresser (as Christopher Heaps)
Richard Hebrank	....	construction coordinator (as Rich Hebrank)
Ricky Hoppe	....	set dresser (as Rick Hoppe)
Caroline Irons	....	scenic
Michael Jortner	....	assistant property master
Lisa Kennedy	....	scenic foreman
Martin Lasowitz	....	property master
Phillis Lehmer	....	graphic design
Nili Lerner	....	scenic foreperson
Peter Levitsky	....	greens
Elizabeth Linn	....	charge scenic
Francesca Mirabella	....	art department assistant
Laura Nemesi	....	art department assistant
Jennifer Alex Nickason	....	assistant set decorator (as Jenny Alex Nickason)
Lynn Nickels	....	scenic
Steven Purtee	....	scenic
Richard Rose	....	chief construction grip (as Richard C. Rose)
Will Scheck	....	chief greens
Philip Winn	....	art department coordinator
Marian Ziola-Stoeffelmeier	....	scenic
Robert A. Morris	....	photo-graphics (uncredited)

Sound Department
Rick Chefalas	....	first assistant sound editor
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist (as Marko Costanzo)
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gerald Donlan	....	adr editor
Tom Fleischman	....	additional sound re-recording mixer
Jeanne Gilliland	....	sound utility
Lawrence Herman	....	sound re-recordist (as Larry Herman)
Ruth Hernandez	....	adr editor
Drew Kunin	....	sound mixer
Craig Kyllonen	....	ADR recordist
George A. Lara	....	foley mixer
Paloma Mele	....	apprentice sound editor
Douglas Murray	....	adr mixer (as Doug Murray)
Jac Rubenstein	....	dialogue editor (as Jack Rubenstein)
Paul Sacco	....	sound consultant: Dolby
Kira Smith	....	boom operator
Wyatt Sprague	....	sound effects editor
Paul Urmson	....	sound designer
Paul Urmson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steven Visscher	....	supervising foley editor (as Steve Visscher)
Debby VanPoucke	....	post sound coordinator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Phillip Beck	....	special effects technician
Lorenzo Hall	....	special effects technician (as Lorenzo T. Hall)
Steven Kirshoff	....	special effects coordinator (as Steve Kirshoff)
Frank C. Oliva Sr.	....	special effects foreman (as Frank Oliva)
Angel Torres	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Randall Balsmeyer	....	visual effects supervisor: Big Film Design (as Randy Balsmeyer)
J. John Corbett	....	visual effects artist: Big Film Design
Chris Halstead	....	visual effects artist: Big Film Design
Tyra Hanshaw	....	visual effects producer: Big Film Design

Stunts
Stephen A. Pope	....	stunt coordinator (as Stephen Pope)
Jodi Michelle Pynn	....	stunt double: Nicole Kidman
Shawnna Thibodeau	....	stunt double: Nicole Kidman
Scott Burik	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Jeffrey Lee Gibson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Pete Klein	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Trampas Thompson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Rico Omega Alston	....	video assist (as Rico Aston)
Chris Blauvelt	....	first assistant camera (as Christopher Blauvelt)
Ronald Burke	....	dolly grip (as Ronald J. Burke)
David M. Carr	....	second company grip
Daniel Feighery	....	second assistant camera
Kevin Flynn	....	first company grip (as Kevin W. Flynn)
Tim Flynn	....	grip (as Timothy Flynn)
Gary Hildebrand	....	electrician
Lukasz Jogalla	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Jeremy Knaster	....	assistant chief lighting technician
John Krause	....	grip
Christopher Moeller	....	film loader (as Christopher A. Moeller)
William D. Moran	....	grip (as William Moran)
Bill O'Leary	....	chief lighting technician
Michael Papadapolous	....	electrician (as Michael Papadopoulos)
Kabkeo Phothivongsa	....	electrician
Michael P. Prisco Jr.	....	electrician
Ken Regan	....	still photographer
Ryan Rodriguez	....	electrician (as Ryan A. Rodriguez)
Peter Russell	....	electrician
Darrin Smith	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Bob Van Heek	....	grip (as Bob A. Van Heek)
John Velez	....	chief lighting technician
Franz Yeich	....	grip
Eugene C. DePasquale	....	grip (uncredited)
Petr Hlinomaz	....	camera operator: "b" camera (uncredited)
David Knox	....	underwater director of photography (uncredited)
David Landau	....	additional electrician (uncredited)
David Landau	....	electrician: night sequences (uncredited)
Lou Massa	....	grip (uncredited)
Greg McMahon	....	film loader (uncredited)
Lisa Origlieri	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Jon W. Rosenbloom	....	additional grip (uncredited)
Darrin Smith	....	best boy rigging gaffer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Deborah Maxwell Dion	....	casting assistant: Los Angeles
Ronen Gevint	....	background casting
Stephanie Holbrook	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nicole Greenbaum	....	on-set costumer
Emily Gunshor	....	costume coordinator
Iris Horta Lemos	....	costumer: Ms. Kidman (as Iris Lemos)
Donna Maloney	....	costume supervisor (as Donna M. Maloney)
Michelle Matland	....	assistant costume designer
Jonathan Schwartz	....	costume assistant
Danielle Cadorette	....	wardrobe tailor (uncredited)
B. Reeves	....	costume production assistant (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Ernest Leif Boyd	....	assistant editor
Lynn Cassaniti	....	additional assistant editor
Jessica Green	....	post-production assistant
Marty Levenstein	....	first assistant editor (as Martin Levenstein)
Beth Moran	....	additional assistant editor
Mary Nelson-Duerrstein	....	negative cutter (as Mary Nelson-Fraser)
Stephen R. Sheridan	....	color timer (as Steve Sheridan)
Joe Violante	....	dailies advisor (as Joey Violante)

Music Department
Nancy Allen	....	music editor
Linda Cohen	....	music executive
George Drakoulias	....	music supervisor
Britta Phillips	....	music consultant
Dean Wareham	....	music consultant
Julie Sessing	....	music clearance (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Ernie Acquavella	....	driver (as Ernie Acquevilla)
Thomas Aquino	....	driver
William Baker	....	driver
Patrick Bentz	....	driver (as Patrick J. Bentz)
Edward J. Buzzo	....	driver
Mike Canales	....	driver (as Mike Canale)
John Canavan	....	transportation co-captain
David Chacon	....	driver
James Charleston	....	driver
Charles Fay	....	driver
Joseph Fay	....	driver
Kevin Griffin	....	driver
Dimitri Jacotin	....	driver
Adrian Keenan	....	driver
John Lalor	....	driver
Jesse Lello	....	driver
Mark Edward May	....	driver
Eugene O'Neill	....	transportation captain (as Gene O'Neill)
Joseph Paprota	....	driver
Wesley Petersen	....	driver (as Wes Petersen)

Other crew
Keith Adams	....	location manager (as Keith A. Adams)
Barbara Austin	....	dog trainer
Mary Bailey	....	script supervisor
Hernando Bansuelo	....	office production assistant
Kathy Bernard	....	stand-in
Pamela Bertini	....	assistant production coordinator
Kate Bogle	....	set production assistant
Chris Cloud	....	department assistant
Leslie Collins	....	medic
Santos Cornier	....	department assistant
Kate Dalton	....	stand-in
Derek Frampton Davis	....	department assistant
Eric Dean	....	production secretary
Kelly Meyer Douglas	....	department assistant
Erica Francis	....	department assistant
C.J. Gardella	....	assistant: Mr. Baumbach
Shellie Gillespie	....	payroll accountant
Tracy Gossett	....	department assistant
Judy Heinzen	....	assistant: Ms. Kidman
Elizabeth Himelstein	....	dialect coach: Ms. Kidman (as Elizabeth Himelstein-Reynolds)
Sean Hogan	....	production accountant
Nathan Kelly	....	assistant: Mr. Rudin
Jessie Kilguss	....	assistant: Mr. Baumbach
Serena Kuo	....	department assistant
Francisco Marcial	....	parking coordinator
Albert Massiah	....	set production assistant
Meg Mathisen	....	publicity manager
Nina Maxwell	....	film runner
Adam Milch	....	assistant: Mr. Rudin
Luie Morales	....	department assistant
Steve Moramarco	....	assistant: Mr. Black
Kat Murello	....	stand-in
Frank Murray	....	first assistant accountant
Eric Myers	....	unit publicist
Gemma O'Neill	....	assistant: Ms. Kidman
Wayne Petrucelli	....	security: Ms. Kidman
Vince Piotti	....	office production assistant (as Vincent Piotti)
Daniel Pollack	....	location scout
Oak Porcelli	....	set production assistant
Beth Powder	....	assistant clearance coordinator
James P. Queen	....	executive assistant: Mr. Rubin
Nora Resnick	....	set production assistant
Danny Roman	....	assistant: Mr. Rudin
Mark Rothman	....	assistant: Mr. Rudin
Kara Ryan	....	set production assistant
Michelle Sarama	....	post-production accountant
Aidan Shah	....	accounting clerk
Leanne Shapton	....	title designer
Susan Silas	....	location scout
Susan Soh	....	assistant: Ms. Leigh
Anita Sum	....	production coordinator
David Velasco	....	assistant location manager
Nils Widboom	....	location scout
Mark A. Wills	....	set production assistant
Craig T. Wood	....	production secretary
Michele Baker	....	location scout (uncredited)
Justin Begnaud	....	assistant: Mr. Rudin (uncredited)
Daniel Cabeza	....	assistant: Mr. Rudin (uncredited)
Lauren E. Enfield	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Jennifer Zolten Freed	....	post-production accountant (uncredited)
Tena Golding	....	additional production secretary: New York (uncredited)
Audra Gorman	....	location scout (uncredited)
Matthew Honovic	....	assistant: Mr. Rudin (uncredited)
Aaron Hurvitz	....	location scout (uncredited)
Jule Ann Jappe	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Christopher Menges	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Noel Davis Poyner	....	publicity intern (uncredited)
Nicole Real	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Heli Soell	....	assistant post-production accountant (uncredited)
Eugene Stamos	....	craft service assistant (uncredited)
Denise Violante	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Alexander Zweig	....	assistant to Mr. Rudin (uncredited)

Thanks
Barbara Turner	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Scott Rudin Productions

Distributors

• Paramount Vantage (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2008) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Odeon (2008) (Greece) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Sky Cinema (2010) (Germany) (TV)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2008) (Argentina) (all media)

Special Effects

• Big Film Design (visual effects)

Other Companies

• ARRI  cameras
• C5  post-production sound facility
• Clearance Domain  clearance
• Creative Mega Playground  dailies telecine
• David Haddad  transportation equipment
• Dawn Animal Agency  dogs provided by
• Duclos Lenses  opticals
• Haddad's  transportation equipment
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Mega Playground  video dailies
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals (as Pacific Title and Art Studio)
• Sound One Corporation  mixing stage
• Soundtrack  ADR Facility
• Soundtrack  sound re-recording facility
• Sylvia Fay/Lee Genick & Associates Casting  extras casting
• Technicolor  dailies (as Technicolor New York)
• Thomson Brothers  craft service
• Trevanna Post  post-production accounting
• Tribe Road Catering  catering

Also Known As:

"Margot e o Casamento" - Brazil, Portugal
"Margot y la boda" - Argentina (imdb display title), Spain
"Марго на свадьбе" - Russia
"I Margot paei sto gamo" - Greece (cable TV title)
"Il matrimonio di mia sorella" - Italy
"Kizkardesim Evleniyor" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Margot at the Wedding" - Greece (DVD title)
"Margot az esküvőn" - Hungary
"Margot jedzie na slub" - Poland (imdb display title)
"Margot und die Hochzeit" - Germany
"Margot va au mariage" - France
"Margot va au marriage" - Canada (French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content and language

Runtime:

93 min | USA:91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:14A | Ireland:16 | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-13 | Sweden:7 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

City Island, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Scott Rudin Productions

Trivia:

The cinematographer, Harris Savides, used old lenses and shot mostly in natural light to get the dim, ominous look of the film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Margot secretly talks to Dick on her cell phone, at times, you can hear Nicole Kidman's Australian accent, especially when she says "Saturday."

Quotes:

Pauline:I was dating that guy Horace back then. Do you remember him?
Margot:Was that the guy who liked to rough you up?
Pauline:No, that was our dad.
Margot:Our dad used to strip down to his skivvies and beat us with a belt.
Malcolm:That man had a sexual screw loose.
Pauline:That's awful, that stuff that happens to kids. Malcolm was fondled by a male babysitter.
Malcolm:Just use that information however you want.

Movie Connections:

References Barely Legal 18 (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Easy to Be Around

A Repugnant Film

A typical conversation from "Margot at the Wedding" might go something like this:

"You were always so pretty." "WERE pretty? Does that mean you don't think I'm pretty anymore?" "Why are you responding with all of this passive aggressive hostility? I was just trying to pay you a compliment." "You know, I was noticing earlier today that you have really bad body odor. Does that ever bother you?" "You're such a bitch."

And that's it. Scene after scene of dialogue like this, spoken by one unlikable character to another unlikable character, until you feel like the only possible way for the movie to end satisfactorily is for all of the characters to be impaled on something very sharp and preferably jagged.

Noah Baumbach made an auspicious debut with "The Squid and the Whale," but with "Margot at the Wedding" he makes the mistake of assuming that one person's morbid neuroses are inherently interesting to another. We don't learn anything about these characters, we don't care about them, and we don't like them. You tell me -- do you want to sit through 90 minutes of that?

Grade: F