Margot at the Wedding

For those who haven't heard of it yet, Margot at the Wedding is the eagerly awaited new film by Jennifer's husband, writer-director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Kicking and Screaming). According to its IMDb plot synopsis, Margot at the Wedding is "a sharply observed portrait of a family. This film is an unflinchingly honest story about coming to terms with one's family and oneself, a comedic and heartbreaking journey."

Nicole Kidman plays Margot, a troubled, unhappily married woman who hasn't spoken to her older sister Pauline (Leigh) in a few years. Both sisters share a painful past, having been beaten by their father and been in therapy. On the eve of Pauline's wedding to Malcolm (Jack Black) – a man she disapproves of – Margot decides to try and bury the hatchet by attending the ceremony with her son. The film also stars John Turturro as Kidman's husband and Ciarán Hinds as her lover. Even Leigh's real-life mother, the Emmy-nominated screenwriter Barbara Turner (Georgia, Pollock, The Company), will have a cameo appearance as "Aunt Becky".

With Baumbach on board as writer and director, Kidman as co-star, and an acknowledged debt of influence to the great French auteur Eric Rohmer (Pauline at the Beach, Claire's Knee, My Night at Maud's), something tells me this will be an exciting project for us JJL fans. Baumbach's razor-sharp script for The Squid and the Whale deservedly earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and propelled Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney into career-defining work. Early reports from people who've read the Margot script have been very positive, indicating that it may be the strongest showcase for both Kidman and Leigh's talents in a long time.

The film is hotly tipped to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September. It opens in NY and LA on 3 October, gets a limited US release on 12 October and finally goes wide on 25 December.