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The Squid and the Whale

2005 · directed by Noah Baumbach · 81 min · R
22,721 feet · Prominence
1,630th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw42

Lifetime worldwide gross $11m, re-releases included; about $19m in 2026 money.

Rank6,086 of 11,051In 2005164 of 266

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise89

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics87 baseAwards38 signal → +3 lift

Oscars1 nominated Original Screenplay
Golden Globes2 nominated Best Picture, Lead acting
How Praise works

Critics set the score; a tiered award record, Picture and Directing carrying the most weight, claims half the headroom above it. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy38

Judged directly: Baumbach breakout, indie divorce template.

Verdict38 of 100IMDb7.3 from 94kWikipedia12k views a monthAge21 years

On the listsCriterion Collectionevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 1,900 of 4,039 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 42 praise 89 legacy 38averages 56, placing it at22,721 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

In these careers — elevation for this film

Jeff Daniels19,673 ftJesse Eisenberg19,279 ftLaura Linney18,992 ftAnna Paquin18,172 ft