Marriage Story reviews

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Big Magilla
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Re: Marriage Story reviews

Post by Big Magilla »

My take on Baumbach is that he is a great dialogue writer, but he is not necessarily good at character development.

I saw this as two films, one about the lawyers and one about the breakup of the marriage.

I've worked with lawyers all my life. Some were good and some were bad. The ones in this film were among the worst, well played but bad, from nasty Dern to doddering Alda to sleazy Liotta. Driver and Johannson are not playing naïve small-time characters, they are playing supposedly sophisticated show biz types. As such, they must have had some contact with lawyers before the breakup, but they both act like they've never seen one before.

I tried not to take sides, but it was clear that although both Driver and Johannson give impassioned performances, Baumbach's script was on Driver's side starting with Johannson's refusal to cooperate with the counselor. Driver may have been taking her for granted, but It was obvious that she not only wanted to go to L.A. for career opportunities but to be closer to her dimwitted mother and sister, even moving back in with the mother. Am I the only one who didn't appreciate Julie Haggerty's modern take on the type of character Billie Burke used to be able to play in her sleep?

Nonetheless it was also clear that Driver and Johannson's characters still loved one another in little ways. But that kid. He was supposed to be 8, but played as though he were 5 or at the most, 6.

Further evidence of Baumbach being clearly on Driver's side was the two awkward scenes he has involving the kid. The first was the one in which he takes him trick or treating after every other kid has gone home. The second was the one in which he has to put on a show for that stone-faced investigator, a ridiculously written character if there ever was one. Johansson has no similar scenes where she struggles to do the right thing with the kid.

Finally, regarding those Sondheim songs from Company: Johansson, along with Haggerty and Merritt Wever is given the minor "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" to sing whereas Driver is not only given the power ballad "Being Alive" but gets to sing the parts of the supporting characters as well as the main part sung by Bobby in the play. If they were given equal roles, Johannson would have allowed to sing "The Ladies Who Lunch" instead.

It should easily get Oscar nominations for Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress and Screenplay but I don't see Director.
Reza
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Re: Marriage Story reviews

Post by Reza »

Mister Tee wrote:I think the film is powerful and universal
Spot on. It resonates more deeply if one has been through a bad relationship or marriage. The issues may vary but the emotional arc is very universal.
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Re: Marriage Story reviews

Post by Mister Tee »

There's much about Marriage Story I admire enormously. But it's not quite an A+ film for me, and the reason comes down to a simple feeling I have: that Noah Baumbach is not a natural director. He's a good (and lately-improving) writer; he's very good with his actors, especially here; and he's certainly improved in the director's chair -- I echo the praise in another thread for The Meyerowitz Stories. But he doesn't give me the confidence that, for instance, Scorsese, Fincher, PTA, Ang Lee do -- that, whatever their material, they'll serve up a visualization that flows effortlessly.

To explicate what I mean: I was rolling hard with the opening of Marriage Story. I thought the illustrated therapy notes that kicked off off the film worked beautifully, and were capped off perfectly with Scarlett's "I don't want to read this." I thought Scarlett's long near-monologue in Laura Dern's office was spectacular -- I noted elsewhere it brought Liv Ullmann to mind, and I specifically have moments from Face to Face in mind. This film was off to a wonderful start.

Where it hit a speed bump for me was the serving-papers scene in Johansson's family kitchen. There was a ton going on in that scene -- Hagerty's affection for Driver, Wever's neurosis, along with the literal plot point of getting the papers into Driver's hands (even while he's breaking the news of the McArthur grant). It required an absolutely steady hand to keep the scene from devolving into chaos -- and I don't think Baumbach showed that ability. The tones of the scene kept shifting uneasily, from farce to angry-drama...and, throughout, I had the sense the scene wasn't working because Baumbach didn't have an intuitive sense of where to place his camera at any given moment (something all those other directors I mentioned would have accomplished by second nature). It was at that moment I lost confidence in Baumbach's ability to carry me through his story, and it left me uneasy the rest of the way.

Again, not to say there weren't plenty of excellent scenes along the way. I love pretty much everything Alan Alda's character provided. I was grateful Dern toned down the loud brassiness that's been her go-to shtik in TV work from Recount on -- even her rousing Virgin Mary monologue was kept free of cartoonishness. And of course I found the late, screaming confrontation between Driver and Johansson pretty shattering. (And, to give credit where it's due, I thought the closing the driveway gate visual was nearly perfect in conception and execution.)

On the other hand, the "Being Alive" sequence... I had done my best not to read spoilers about the film. but I had picked up there'd be a scene that involved Driver singing the song. I wish I hadn't; it might have worked better for me had the moment caught me by surprise. As it was, though, I found the scene stuck out like a sore thumb. I certainly had a sense the scene was supposed to Wow me...but I have no idea what it was supposed to show/communicate to me. It felt like something Baumbach, and maybe Driver, had worked out cerebrally, but they didn't get it across to me. I of course have a 50-year investment in this song, it being the climax of one of my life's greatest theatre experiences, and, given that there'll probably never be a film version of Company, I should be happy this will ensure the song is enshrined in film history. But I wish the scene worked for me.

I'm going to disagree with Sabin on the film's balance between Johansson and Driver's characters, though with a bit of an asterisk. I think Johansson makes an absolute case for her ending the marriage in that extended sequence in Dern's office: she explains quite fully how she became gradually diminished over the years of the union, and that Driver's oblivousness to her viewpoint meant it could never be resolved. (Even late in the film, he's saying "We're a New York family; that's a fact" -- when it's anything but.) You can very much question Johansson's decision to escalate the legal stakes, and blame her for much of the ugliness that ensues. But I don't honestly get how people can think the movie is clearly on Driver's side. Except, for that asterisk: it is a fact that, after the film's first hour, it becomes much more Driver's film -- following largely his journey through the legal morass. If you take Woody Allen's "90% of life is showing up" dictum to heart, you can definitely feel the film favors Driver in the end simply by the amount of time it devotes to him. (And for giving him the more regretful outcome -- she and her girls finish with the upbeat Act One song from Company, while he gets the emotional finale.) But I don't think that perception matches the content of the film.

This what-I'd-call-an-optical-illusion carries over into how people rate the performances. Sabin asked me elsewhere about Johansson and where she stands in the best actress race. Honestly, from what I've seen, I'd place her first -- that scene in Dern's office features as strong acting as I've ever seen from her, the best thing I've seen any actress do this year. But it does happen early in the film, and, though she has plenty to do later -- people seem to be ignoring she's an equal partner in that late scream-fest -- there may be a tendency to lose sight of how good she is strictly by late screen-time. (When people talk about an Oscar scene, I think they subconsciously mean a scene near the end of the film that sticks with you after the credits.)

As we know, I've had my issues with Driver in the past. I think he's very good here, and, if he wins best actor, I won't gripe. But I can't say I had the sort of "there was a GREAT performance" feeling I got from, say, Casey Affleck in Manchester. Many people seem to have got that vibe, and I'm happy for them; I can only report my honest reaction.

I already discussed Dern and Alda a bit. The former is clearly a leading candidate for this year's supporting win, and will be perfectly deserving. (Though I imagine we'll be sick of the big clip by February.) Alda probably doesn't have enough screen-time to secure a nomination in such a tough year, but it was just a pleasure to watch him work. He's always been an economical performer, but he's even more delicate than ever here -- conveying with every moment his realization the system is hopeless and also his acknowledgment he has no alternative to working within it. The rest of the ensemble -- Liotta, Wever, Hagerty -- is just wonderful; should be a SAG contender.

I assume there'll be some "who cares about the problem of rich showbiz folk?" reaction, but I think the film is powerful and universal enough to get past that for many. And the ending is pretty perfect: sentiment that stops short of sentimentality. A good film; just not quite the landmark I'd hoped for.
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Re: Marriage Story reviews

Post by Sabin »

I think Marriage Story is best seen as an entry in Noah Baumbach's filmography. In some ways, it represents a great big leap. It's also such a visibly personal film for better or worse. For better, the film contains so many authentic details about the divorce process that they must have been experienced first-hand. He presents divorce as a disembodying experience like I'm not sure I've seen before. For worse, it's a two-hander that clearly tilts towards Adam Driver, as the Baumbach surrogate. Not for lack of trying but he can't help himself. Even though Driver's character is portrayed in an unflattering light more than once, there is a lack of specificity and credibility to Johansson's character (and performance) that the film can't quite overcome. I dare anyone to come out of this film with a less flattering opinion of Adam Driver's character. I'm talking both about his performance (this might be his best work) and the dimensionality of his character. He's just more charming and interesting.

But what's really holding this film back is that it's missing a greater reason for existing. The most obvious comparison is Kramer vs. Kramer. Now, that film might not hold up like it once did but it has a message of change that we can still take with us. With Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach wants to portray divorce in a unique way, but it's still a divorce movie about divorce. Ultimately, I find that a little disappointing. What does Marriage Story have to say about intimacy in 2019? About ambitions? About growth? Really nothing. To be fair, there is a too-insular quality to most of Baumbach's work with the exception of the lovely Frances Ha which gains greater cultural touchstone largely due to Gerwig's influence (although one might make the case for Greenberg as well). His films are never about the grand statements but rather the little observations.

What this means is that for everything that's very good about this film, it feels like a self-absorbed film about a self-absorbed couple. I loved Baumbach's approach to portraying the divorce, I just wish he took a few steps outside of it.

In the plus column: great cinematography by Robbie Ryan, editing by Jennifer Lame, and score by Randy Newman. It's a fantastic production. Laura Dern is at least getting nominated. The whole cast is great. Also worth singling out is Alan Alda in a small role as a terribly sweet lawyer well-beyond his expiration date and Ray Liotta as his street fighting replacement.
"How's the despair?"
Reza
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Re: Marriage Story reviews

Post by Reza »

Looks like Laura Dern may finally be heading towards an Oscar.
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Marriage Story reviews

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