She's a teacher and single mom to Ingrid (FLORA CROSS), and while she similarly blames her various personal problems on her and Margot's father, she thinks this marriage will make things right. That's unlike Margot who's having an affair with her screenwriting partner, Dick Koosman (CIARAN HINDS). He lives near Pauline with his teenage daughter Maisy (HALLEY FEIFFER), whose youthful looks have drawn Malcolm's attention.

As the big day nears, the sisters must deal with their various personal and interpersonal issues with each other as well as those in their lives.

Such was the case with 2005's "The Squid and the Whale," writer/director Noah Baumbach's reportedly autobiographical film about his family life around the time of his parents' divorce. Observant, witty, smart with its material and featuring good performances, the movie worked for what it was trying to say and be.

The same can be said about Baumbach's follow-up, "Margot at the Wedding," which isn't a sequel in terms of characters and storyline. Yet it somewhat is in tone and theme, as family members turn out to be each other's and their own worse enemies. Some may find a return to such material as entertaining, but notwithstanding the same positive attributes that made the first film work, I believe we can all agree that it's time for the filmmaker to move on, perhaps to a light comedy where everyone gets along and isn't fueled by angst and turmoil.

It doesn't take Baumbach long to signal what's in store. While traveling on a train with his mother (Nicole Kidman), a mop-top kid (Zane Pais) steps away for a moment, stops in the area between train cars, and repeatedly screams at the top of his longs. Mark that as dysfunctional evidence article one.

They're off to attend the wedding of her sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh) despite the two being estranged (more evidence), while her hubbie-to-be (Jack Black) is highly opinionated and unemployed, and the first woman doesn't think highly of him (you determined the number of marks there).

Throw in Kidman's character cheating on her husband (John Turturro in a brief cameo) with her writing partner (Ciaran Hinds), Leigh's daughter (Flora Cross) having a past fling with Black's character, all of them not getting along with their odd neighbors, and both women blaming everything on their father, and there's enough evidence to convince even the dimmest cinematic juror.

Baumbach would likely and proudly plead guilty as charged, and you have to give him kudos for not wrapping things up in a tidy little package with a pretty bow up top. Yet, and at least for yours truly, a little of that goes a long way, and after a while, all of that familial and interpersonal dysfunction begins to wear on one's mind and soul, not to mention hindquarters.

Save for Black who's a little iffy at times in his character's skin (especially when the part calls for something deeper than theatrical over-emoting), the performances range from good to strong (the latter applying to Kidman and Leigh), and the dialogue works in terms of balancing drama, melodrama and darkish humor. All of which means makes it easier to watch, but it certainly makes one ponder whether Baumbach is a one-trick movie pony (dealing with the same issues as before) or is using his moviemaking as a means of self-therapy.

Decent, but certainly not what one would consider an uplifting or feel-good flick, "Margot at the Wedding" rates as a 6 out of 10.