Marriage Story
/“Criminal lawyers see bad people at their best, divorce lawyers see good people at their worst.”
Filmology Rating: 3.88 out of 4
Marriage Story is the latest Noah Baumbach film that originated as a Netflix project. It stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a couple who are currently going through a divorce and, unlike most films that surround divorce, this film is entirely about that process and how it impacts their only child.
This film was phenomenal, probably better than 'The Irishman.' I always say that film is about those little moments and this entire film is nothing but those little moments. Usually in a film like this, divorce is a part of the narrative, but it's a set up to a larger story and glosses over the divorce part. 'Marriage Story' is nothing but the divorce. It covers literally every aspect you could think of with a charming sense of personality from Baumbach.
This film is reminiscent of 'Paddleton' in that it's very uncinematic in that everything is shot very documentary-style; very long takes where the actors are allowed to just play a scene out.
Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson give possibly the two greatest performances of the year. Acting is reacting and this film has one scene where Driver and Johansson argue and it's possibly one of the most tension-filled and soul-crushing scenes of the year. Unlike most actors in the MCU or 'Star Wars,' these two definitely have proven here that they are still brilliant actors.
This film also dips its toe in many genres. It's a suit and courtroom film for a while, a musical at one point, slapstick comedy, a serious drama; this film hits many bases and does so with a clear tone and pacing.
Ironically, this film feels very much like a stage-play because Driver does play a character who is a theater director and Johansson is an actress. There is this wonderful scene where Johansson says that she can't cry on cue. A few seconds later, she goes into another room and breaks down in tears because of the divorce.
This is also a very evenly-told film. It doesn't make Driver or Johansson the "good-parent," but presents characters in a way that you can make up your own mind about them and the film doesn't have to tell you.
Laura Dern and Ray Liotta also make appearances in the film and they very much play-up the humorous aspect of the film because they are the quintessential type of divorce lawyers that will do whatever it takes to win for their client.
Baumbach also has such control over his comedy. Usually, the issue with comedy is that it's always too obvious and overplayed while often breaking the pacing of a scene. Baumbach knows the perfect amount of comedy to put in to where if you catch it, good for you, you got a laugh. If not, it doesn't break the scene because there is more happening other than funny/quirky jokes.
What this film is truly about is how a divorce impacts a young child. It's such a great small-scale film that focuses on the smaller, more-special moments that most filmmakers would overlook.
Rating: See It
-Nolan