The Squid and the Whale

Name: The Squid and the Whale
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 2005-10-05
Duration: 1 h 21 min
Rating: 7
Cast: Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, William Baldwin

2005·Movie·R·81 min·★ 7.0(1,078)

Comedy Drama More English titles

“Joint custody blows.”

Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

▶ Watch trailer

Where to watch The Squid and the Whale in United States

Stream

Netflix

Netflix Standard with Ads

Rent

Buy

Click a service to open The Squid and the Whale there. Availability last verified on June 21, 2026.

Where is The Squid and the Whale streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
India	—	Amazon Video
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Sky Store
Canada	—	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, CosmoGo
Australia	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Germany	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Rakuten TV
France	Molotov TV	Apple TV Store, Canal VOD, Amazon Video
Spain	—	Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Google Play Movies
Brazil	—	Amazon Video
Japan	—	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies

About The Squid and the Whale

The Squid and the Whale is a 2005 English-language comedy and drama film directed by Noah Baumbach. The cast is led by Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg. It has a runtime of 1h 21m. Viewers rate it 7.0/10 across 1100 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.

The Squid and the Whale was produced by Original Media, American Empirical Pictures, and Peter Newman/Interal and made in United States of America. It was released on October 5, 2005, and carries a R certification. Made on a budget of about $2 million, it went on to gross $11 million worldwide.

Director: Noah Baumbach
Writers: Noah Baumbach
Release date: October 5, 2005
Original language: English
Age rating: R
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Budget: $2 million
Box office: $11 million
Production: Original Media, American Empirical Pictures, Peter Newman/Interal

#uniform#new york city#museum#coming of age#writer#private#brooklyn, new york city#tryst#semi autobiographical#broken family#1980s

The Squid and the Whale cast & crew

The Squid and the Whale was directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Noah Baumbach.

The cast features Jeff Daniels as Bernard Berkman, Laura Linney as Joan Berkman, Jesse Eisenberg as Walt Berkman, Owen Kline as Frank Berkman, William Baldwin as Ivan, and Halley Feiffer as Sophie Greenberg.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Dean Wareham, cinematography is by Robert D. Yeoman, and it was produced by Reverge Anselmo and Clara Markowicz.

Is The Squid and the Whale worth watching?

The Squid and the Whale holds an audience score of 7.0/10 from 1,078 ratings, a solidly received comedy films.

At 1h 21m, it's an easy, time-light watch.

If you enjoy comedy and drama, The Squid and the Whale is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch The Squid and the Whale

In United States, you can stream The Squid and the Whale on Netflix and Netflix Standard with Ads, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.