Noah Baumbach tackles more mid-life disappointment in Greenberg, one of Ben Stiller’s finest performances. Though some may dismiss his Murray-esque direction to more serious territory, it’s an amazing turn and is perhaps best suited to a beloved comedy actor given the character he plays. Roger Greenberg, who recently suffered a mental breakdown, is staying in his brother’s house while he is away, it’s here he meets his brother’s assistant Florence (Greta Gerwig – who brings her mumblecore background to the table) and the two embark on a relationship that starts out awkward, and never really gets much better. Florence’s kind hearted fuck up often falls prey to Greenberg’s venom which is really aimed at himself. It’s an interesting dynamic, and to have your title character so unlikable in so many scenes could have been risky in less skilled hands. However Baumbach and Stiller pull it off remarkably and even more impressive is they do it all without the aid of some huge trite character changing epiphany. Greenberg is self-centred and always will be, but the fun is in finding out whether he can pull his shit together just enough to not alienate Florence for good. This is a fantastically absorbing and at time hilarious film that so seamlessly tackles the themes of self-hatred and accepting life and its underwhelming results. Topics that could easily depress, but are sprinkled with the glimmer of hope that it’s never too late to turn things around. The problem is there is always an excuse not to.
5/5
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