Marriage Story - Review
Director: Noah Baumbach
Cast: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Ray Liotta, Alan Alda, Julie Hegarty, Merritt Weaver
Stage director Charlie (Driver) and his actor wife Nicole (Johansson) have recently made the decision to separate. The coast-to-coast divorce process evolves into something much more convoluted and painful than either had ever anticipated, pushing them to their emotional limits.
Baumbach begins the film with Nicole and Charlie separately reciting a list of things that they love about one another; Nicole loves that Charlie cries easily at movies and loves being a father to their son, Henry. Charlie loves that Nicole can cut hair and is a great gift giver. Through their admissions, we witness wistful montages of happier times and memories of their marriage which is abruptly clipped by the couple undergoing a divorce counselling session. They sit at opposite ends of the couch, their body language stiff and uncomfortable as they struggle to make eye contact; this is where their story starts. Nicole has grown to resent New York and her career that is inextricably linked to her husband's whilst Charlie can no longer feign satisfaction with his wife's restlessness and unhappiness.
Although Marriage Story often exudes the appearance of relying on improvisation to craft such raw and effortless character interactions, every piece of action and dialogue has been tightly scripted. It's a great credit not only to Baumbach's sensitive and considerate writing, but also to the excellent performances by Driver and Johansson. The actors deftly strike the balance between making us laugh and swiftly breaking our hearts, often within the same scene and sending our emotions askew. Charlie and Nicole share a mutual respect and admiration for one another but as their divorce evolves into something increasingly bitter, the commonality they share becomes harder and harder to identify and our leads beautifully portray this aching disintegration of a once loving marriage.
An impressive host of supporting actors reinforce Baumbach's tone, particularly a superb Dern as Nora, Nicole's lawyer who formidably defends her client with incomparable glamour. There's also
Merritt Weaver as Nicole's sister Cassie, who turns the distressing task of serving Charlie divorce papers into a farcical sequence, equipped with shaky Northern English accents and the inability to recall the flavour of a store-bought pie. It transpires to be one of the film's comedic highlights but triggers the acrimonious dynamic that starts to develop.
Perhaps Baumbach's most honest and tender film to date, Marriage Story is a heartfelt comedy-drama and acute mediation on love and loss, featuring a pair of performances that cement themselves as two of the year's best.
EB
Cast: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Ray Liotta, Alan Alda, Julie Hegarty, Merritt Weaver
Stage director Charlie (Driver) and his actor wife Nicole (Johansson) have recently made the decision to separate. The coast-to-coast divorce process evolves into something much more convoluted and painful than either had ever anticipated, pushing them to their emotional limits.
Baumbach begins the film with Nicole and Charlie separately reciting a list of things that they love about one another; Nicole loves that Charlie cries easily at movies and loves being a father to their son, Henry. Charlie loves that Nicole can cut hair and is a great gift giver. Through their admissions, we witness wistful montages of happier times and memories of their marriage which is abruptly clipped by the couple undergoing a divorce counselling session. They sit at opposite ends of the couch, their body language stiff and uncomfortable as they struggle to make eye contact; this is where their story starts. Nicole has grown to resent New York and her career that is inextricably linked to her husband's whilst Charlie can no longer feign satisfaction with his wife's restlessness and unhappiness.
Although Marriage Story often exudes the appearance of relying on improvisation to craft such raw and effortless character interactions, every piece of action and dialogue has been tightly scripted. It's a great credit not only to Baumbach's sensitive and considerate writing, but also to the excellent performances by Driver and Johansson. The actors deftly strike the balance between making us laugh and swiftly breaking our hearts, often within the same scene and sending our emotions askew. Charlie and Nicole share a mutual respect and admiration for one another but as their divorce evolves into something increasingly bitter, the commonality they share becomes harder and harder to identify and our leads beautifully portray this aching disintegration of a once loving marriage.
An impressive host of supporting actors reinforce Baumbach's tone, particularly a superb Dern as Nora, Nicole's lawyer who formidably defends her client with incomparable glamour. There's also
Merritt Weaver as Nicole's sister Cassie, who turns the distressing task of serving Charlie divorce papers into a farcical sequence, equipped with shaky Northern English accents and the inability to recall the flavour of a store-bought pie. It transpires to be one of the film's comedic highlights but triggers the acrimonious dynamic that starts to develop.
Perhaps Baumbach's most honest and tender film to date, Marriage Story is a heartfelt comedy-drama and acute mediation on love and loss, featuring a pair of performances that cement themselves as two of the year's best.
EB
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