Based around writer/director Noah Baumbach's childhood experiences, the film follows the Berkman family as they head towards a separation. The father Bernard (Jeff Daniels) is an author turned professor and the mother Joan (Laura Linney) is a housewife turned author. Their relationship has soured, and we witness the fall-out through the eyes of their two children Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and Frank (Owen Kline).

The Squid and the Whale bears an uncanny resemblance to the films of Wes Anderson, in particular The Royal Tenenbaumswhich is no coincidence, as he's the films producer. However, it's not just his movie, and Baumbach brings his own brand of painful realism to the proceedings, something which never entered Anderson's self-consciously quirky films.

For anyone who's gone through a divorce, or been in a family where it has struck, there is a striking familiarity to the film. The trials of who spends which night with who, who is allowed to tell who what or what belongings belong to who all ring frighteningly true. The characters in the film all speak with a brutal honesty, something which real families tend to do.

Jeff Daniels is that rare type of actor who seems to be improving with age. Gone are the goofy comic roles of the 90's, here he gives arguably his greatest performance as the selfish, snobby patriarch. Laura Linney rarely disappoints, and although she has less to play with than Daniels she still leaves a lasting impression. But as the film is largely seen through the two boy's eyes, they are the ones you'll remember.

Jesse Eisenberg does a great turn as the older son, and his enduring loyalty to his father's ideals is both endearing and sad. But the real standout of the family is 14-year-old Owen Kline, son of Kevin. With his first major role, he nevertheless delivers great comic timing and also invests credibility in his sometimes unlikely actions. This surely will be the start of a illustrious career.

The film copes with many of the darker sides of family strife by littering the script with awkward humour. As critics have already suggested, you'd cry but you're too busy laughing. The film only falters somewhat when it reaches the final act. The climax is rather, well, anti-climactic, and the squid and the whale metaphor is a little unsuccessful. But these are minor quibbles. It manages to be so evocative of a place and a time and a situation that you never once question what you're seeing. It may prove too close to the bone for some but then that's all part of its charm. I mean, how many characters in X Men can you say that you really relate to?

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