The full page ad in the local arts & entertainment weekly exalted The Squid and the Whale as, "Marvelous...Fresh & Fierce...Exhilarating...Sharply Comical", but it is none of those things. My date and I saw the film last night, in a theater filled with sophisticated film buffs. There was an occasional chuckle and an isolated laugh, here and there, but there was mostly an uncomfortable silence throughout the film.<br /><br />We all collectively squirmed in our seats, looked at one another and winced when the preteen Frank masturbated in the school library, then wiped his semen on some books on the shelf. Who would find this humorous?? It is a badly conceived scene and done in bad taste, only to be touched upon again later in the film. The homosexual, pedophile market will find this film exhilarating.<br /><br />The Squid and the Whale looks as if it was written in two weeks, while high on coke or something turned in by a college sophomore, who pulled an all-nighter on the last day to write an assignment. The term, "assman" was used repeatedly, each time reminding me of a classic episode of Seinfeld. If writing is to be original, you can't go around lifting catch phrases from sitcoms.<br /><br />The acting is understated throughout, with the exception of Laura Linney's occasional shriek and raised eyebrows.<br /><br />The film's sudden ending was a relief.