150th Review: Marriage Story

 

        150 movies can really do a lot to a person. When I started, I made a critical mistake which is to explain what happened and to give my own two cents on the movie I was talking about. I mean, anyone can do that. It wasn’t until I started taking notes on what I was watching and to adequately explain why a movie was good or not. With the addition of putting in pictures, and let’s be honest. No one wants to read a block of text and not see what the movie looks like. With all that, I’m glad you guys made it to my 150th review. 

1. Charlie and Nicole

        With a title like Marriage Story, you’d expect it to be a lovely tale. And I kind of find it ironic where the poster has the two main characters be close, which isn’t that all indicative of what you’re getting yourself into. I think it’s intentional since there’s romance sprinkled in, but the caveat being that it’s a failing relationship. 

        Just to put it simply, Charlie and Nicole are splitting up. Charlie is an ambitious theater director in New York, while Nicole is an actress who started in her husband’s plays before breaking out. When viewing the trailer, I’ll admit that I was nascent to the idea that they would split. Keep in mind I haven’t expanded my view into movies, so I wasn’t expecting the whole movie to be taboo in romantic drama films. 

        What makes the film great is that the two leads have great chemistry. It’s extremely important that the synergy between the two characters need to be believable. For instance, the whole movie could’ve gone sideways by having the characters just be boring and not have much in common. Perhaps director Noah Baumbach had Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver be together prior to shooting, I have no evidence in that but take my word for it. 

        To really push the idea that their split is through the shots when they’re together. It’s a simple tool for looking at movies long enough where you can understand what the cameraman is doing. Since the movie is at its core a marriage leading to divorce, we have moments where both characters are split. There’s no other way to show it but them riding on the subway, with the rail dividing them is plainly telling the audience that the relationship is not fixable. 

2. Duel of the Lawyers

        If there’s one thing I wasn’t expecting, was just how much time the lawyers have in the film. Not to say it’s a bad thing since Laura Dern won an Award for it. And Ray Liotta does good in his own way, sell the part of divorce that not many people are aware of. To me, for how I see it is to see which lawyer is willing to paint or degrade the other party as nasty. 

        We see it in the deposition when the both of them are in court. What starts as simple rationalizations as to why the former couple decided to call it off, turns to hearsays and talking over each other. 

        What I find interesting is that both Nicole and Charlie don’t say anything. They each look down in disappointment or just ashamed. As I kept watching the whole thing unfold, I feel that it was representing that both characters wanted to prove that they’re the better parents. With the lawyers acting as such, since only the two quietly confided with them on correcting matters. 

        Mostly I believe that there’s a concept to winning a case when going through a divorce. With Dern’s character postulating that she wants to have Nicole see her son more than Charlie. I think it’s a little extreme, then again, I haven’t gone through a divorce. Or a relationship in that matter. But on a interesting note is just how much it can go ugly when Charlie goes through two different lawyers. Again, it shows just how messy the whole thing is. 

3. The Scene That Made the Film Great

        Obviously, what sells the movie and just in general the only moment where Netflix uploaded the specific scene is the fight. You and I probably saw this moment out of context, and then finally did when viewing the movie. What hasn’t been said about it, I won’t repeat. Just to put it out there in my own words is this. It’s raw and tragic. 

        Seeing them absolutely shouting and crying sells it. Never have I seen these two actors practically lay it out is really something to see. The whole thing gravitates from their prior mistakes to what’s in front of them, their own son. Driver really sells trying to keep his composure to having that anger that probably made him get casted to be in Star Wars. 

        You would think that it would be in the end, but what’s refreshing is that it’s in the middle of the movie. And from there any resentment or bickering is gone since this was their only moment where they’re real with each other. We see in the beginning where they’re tasked with writing something good to each other, but they can’t muster to read it out loud. This scene shows just how much the whole ordeal affected them and just how it got to that point. 

        I wanted to talk about this whole concept of divorce with Revolutionary Road, but I’ll elaborate as to why divorce or any reality moment is taboo with a movie that is explicitly about it. Because people want to escape from it. That’s what movies do, it allows us to escape from the real world problems and we get sucked into the movie’s world. I think what makes this film great is that it’s not awkward with dealing with divorce. It’s honest and shows no bias with who’s right or wrong. The characters are human and do things that impede any sense of understanding and rectifying a mistake. 

        Honestly, more films should tackle heavy subjects. But sell it and do it in a way where it can be enjoyable. Not in a way for anyone to root for something that’s inherently a tough life moment, but to see just how it’s played out. 

4. Overall

        Bottom line, the whole movie is a must watch. I loved it and it was one of those movies where every single actor is firing on all cylinders.