The Squid and the Whale is great. The whole plot, the acting, the dialogue, everything is just top notch. It's just very...real, to put it in a simple term.
Jeff Daniels has a great performance as the "washed-up" writer father who just "needs a new agent", and the younger brother is great too. Foul-mouthed, horned-up, and great.
Edit:
!@#$%!, you must see The Merchant of Venice. it is spot on Shakespeare with only a few lines missing, very very powerful and dramatic without being over the top. Plus, where it was filmed in Venice, the sets are spot on.