Kicking And Screaming

Four male friends seem to be going through mid-life crises at the tender age of 22. This group is comprised of the struggling Grover, who's trying to justify having screwed up a wonderful relationship; the bemused Max who bides his time doing crossword puzzles and reminiscing about events before they happen; the comically obsessive Otis, who won't consider going to a graduate school in another time zone; and Skippy, earnestly clinging to the routines of college and to a girlfriend who is quickly outgrowing him.

Then there are the formidable women who refuse to wait for these men to grow up: the lovely, eccentric Jane, who confounds Grover by accepting a grant to study in Prague; the precocious teenage townie, Kate, charming everyone with her unaffected bluntness; and the gutsy Miami, in the throes of extricating herself from several bad habits, one of which is Skippy.

Critic Reviews:

• " Baumbach puts his trust in the details, and he gets them right. " – David Ansen

• " Smart and well-performed – captures a time and a feeling with grace and intelligence. " – Walter Chaw

• " I like people who talk interestingly, who have read books, who appreciate verbal wit, who look dubiously at establishment assumptions. " – Roger Ebert