Peter Newman

Izzy is a jazz saxophonist whose life is permanently changed when he is hit by a stray bullet. After his recovery, he stumbles across the body of a stranger and winds up with the murdered man's briefcase. Inside he discovers a much sought-after stone.

Novelist Martin Frost escapes to the country hoping to find creative inspiration and finds much more: a mysterious muse who may or may not be real.

Based on the true childhood experiences of director Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale tells the story of a patriarch (Jeff Daniels, Dumb & Dumber, Speed) of an eccentric Brooklyn family who once had been a great novelist, but has settled into a teaching job. When his wife (Laura Linney, Exorcism of Emily Rose, Kinsey) discovers a writing talent of her own, jealousy divides the family, leaving two teenage sons to forge new relationships with their parents. Linney's character begins dating her younger son's tennis coach (William Baldwin, Backdraft, Flatliners). Meanwhile, Daniels' character has an affair with the student (Anna Paquin, X-Men, Almost Famous) his older son is pursuing.

In his third feature, director Noah Baumbach scores a triumph with an autobiographical coming-of-age story about a teenager whose writer-parents are divorcing. The father (Jeff Daniels) and mother (Laura Linney) duke it out in half-civilized, half-savage fashion, while their two sons adapt in different ways, shifting allegiances between parents. The film is squirmy-funny and nakedly honest ab...