MARRIAGE STORY

Release Date: Netflix Malaysia, 06 Dec 2019
Genre: Drama
Running Length: 2:16
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Ray Liotta, Alan Alda, Azhy Robertson
Director: Noah Baumbach
Screenplay: Noah Baumbach

MARRIAGE STORY is a love story but not that kind. It's humourous, honest and heartbreaking. 

This movie is about the exploration of marriage; the happier days and the end it. When the movie begins, Nicole (Johansson) and Charlie (Driver) are in the process of splitting up. All they want is to ensure that they can still raise and provide the best for their son (Robertson). And when the movie ends, it would leave the audience on a bittersweet note. 

Most films about divorce focus on the bitterness and the shouting matches but not this one. Almost the entire length of the movie, it centres around how these two adults try to cope with what's happening in a, well....adult way. Most of the the time it involves a lot of talking or just silence.  

What I appreciate about this movie is how the filmmakers showcase the process of a divorce especially when the lawyers are involved. Well, there are a few heavy handed scenes to caricaturize the lawyers but most of it are true; all they care is about being paid and "winning". 

I'm also glad the director didn't take sides on who's the "bad" person and who's the "good" one. We clearly know why Nicole wants out from the marriage but the audience can also empathize with Charlie.  

The watch-ability of Marriage Story is squarely on the shoulders of the stellar performances of Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. There is this one argument scene which was so intense it really got to me. 

(Strangely, I feel if this was made into a small-scale theater production, the raw emotions shown by the actors would have been more affecting and powerful for its audience.) 

The film’s themes and emotions are universal. One doesn't have to have gone through a divorce to "enjoy" this film but whoever has been through a break-up will appreciate the sensitivity shown in how a separation will take a personal toll on the respective parties. 

RATING: 8.5/10

(COMBO REVIEW) THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (2017) | A GHOST STORY (2017)

As I saw both of this films on the small screen (Meyerowitz on Netflix and Ghost on a flight), I didn't think of reviewing it. But after I watched a recent video by Nerdwriter I was inspired to write a combo review because they share a common theme (besides having 'story' in their titles) and that is: Moving on in Life.

THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES

There are many films out there about the typical dysfunctional American family but there's just something endearing about this film that makes it sad but yet hopeful. And I reckon it's because of the compassion of Baumbach (the writer and director) for he is able to paint a story of redemption in a broken family. Although this movie is dialogue heavy, viewers will not find it difficult to follow as Baumbach has presented THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES in a light-hearted manner.

As pointed out by the Nerdwriter, although there are rapid conversations happening between two people in a scene, it doesn't mean they are communicating. The real intent in these conversations are found not in their spoken words but expressed in-between their sentences, thus making this film a realistic (and entertaining) watch.

  

As good as Ben Stiller is, it is Adam Sandler who is a revelation here. His performance as the obliging eldest son is moving and heartfelt especially when his character is around his overbearing father (Hoffman). 

What is it about the power of a father's approval that will drive his sons day after day for a lifetime to prove to their father that they are good enough to be considered a man? 

RATING: 7.5/10

A GHOST STORY

A GHOST STORY is a haunting movie, but not in a paranormal kinda way. The movie stays with you long after the credits because the narrative reminds you of the need for closure in order to move on. It causes you to think rather than giving you the answers. 

If you watch the trailer, it plays out like a meditative arty indie film. It informs you of a couple where the husband dies very suddenly, and comes back in a Halloween kind of ghost to 'haunt' his grieving wife. Sounds like a self-indulgent, boring and almost cheesy premise, doesn't it? Trust me, it's not. What you see in the trailer is just the surface to a very original film. And that's all I'm going to say because anything thereafter may just constitute as a spoiler.

Although there are many scenes which are dialogue free (most of it are just long takes of silence), there is actually a lot going on underneath. Aside from what I feel as an unnecessary monologue, A Ghost Story is almost a perfect film. The storytelling is simple, smart and just beautiful to look at.

RATING: 9.5/10 

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THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES

Genre: Drama / Comedy 

Running Length: 1:50

Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Grace Van Patten, Emma Thompson, Elizabeth Marvel, Judd Hirsch, Rebecca Miller

Director: Noah Baumbach 

Screenplay: Noah Baumbach 

A GHOST STORY

Genre: Drama / Fantasy

Running Length: 1:32

Cast: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara

Director: David Lowery

Screenplay: David Lowery

WHILE WE'RE YOUNG (2015)

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Running Length: 1:37
Cast:  Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Grodin,
Director: Noah Baumbach
Screenplay: Noah Baumbach

"Aging is out of control. How you handle it, though, is in your hands." Diane von Furstenberg

WHILE WE'RE YOUNG is film about aging timelessly. Too bad the title "This is 40" has been taken because that's the appropriate description of this movie - a film which explores midlife crisis and discontent. Although it's marketed as a comedy, it's actually a rich film with many layers of insights and amusing anecdotes of Generation X intersecting with the Millennials. But beneath it all, is actually an honest story of finding the meaning of life. Ben Stiller and Naomi Watt's characters are a childless married couple in their mid 40s, who laments the loss of their youth and missed moments in life while Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried play a married couple in their mid 20s, who lives in the moment in a hipster kind of way. Their lives converge by chance (or so it seems) and soon the couples form an unlikely friendship. Thankfully, the director didn't go full-on along the "old people trying to act cool" route (oh there is a funny scene where Naomi Watts tries out hip hop for the very first time) but instead focuses on how our couple faces their fear of growing up; the inability to fully face the world as their mind still thinks like a teenager. I only wish the filmmakers could have dug deeper into this universal theme but instead, the remaining plot of the movie is dedicated into the area of the true meaning of the documentary film making as a medium; which came out dull and dissatisfying. Overall, it's a very human movie laced with rich thematic elements and strong performances from our actors.

Rating: 7/10