'Marriage Story' is the story of a couple whose marriage has fallen apart, and a slow look at how their relationship progresses and evolves through the various stages of divorce. The film starts out strong, with back-to-back voice-overs from the two leads listing out the things they love about each other over grainy 35-mm cinematography bathed in a warm, nostalgic light. It soon becomes apparent that this is simply an exercise in mediation, and the couple is long past reconciliation. What unfolds next is the dull thud of reality hitting in the shape of shark-like divorce lawyers, confused family members and intrinsically unfair custody battles.
With the exception of Scarlett Johansson, who plays the actress Nicole in a mannered, once-removed way, the casting is top-notch. Julie Hagerty and Merritt Wever are excellent as the sweet, overbearing mother in love with her soon-to-be ex son-in-law and the bumbling, insecure sister. The latter steals the show in a pivotal scene where she is so nervous about handing Charlie the divorce papers that she sweats, hams and hilariously fumbles her lines. The trio of lawyers is also competent, although Laura Dern, who plays Nicole's attorney Nora, does overplay her part in some scenes.
Ultimately, though the film is precisely observed and hits all the familiar points between joy and despair, it remains surprisingly inert. One gets the sense that in not wanting to get too close to these characters, director Noah Baumbach compensates by curiously overwriting the scenes. We only get two long blow-outs in the script, and neither of them feel anywhere close to truthful. Instead, we get the impression of theatricality, of things being said in imitation of lines of dialogue in a play. Perhaps a theatre director and actress would talk like this. But without a tangible sense of chemistry, backstory (she hurls insults about his father that we are told next to nothing about) or sufficient motivations, the telling can seem superficial. Stray lines explaining the necessity of unfair legal precautions or society's idealization of the perfect mother seem tacked on social insights, rather than organic to the tale.
Fortunately, the central performance by Adam Driver is a strong redeeming factor in the proceedings. He inhabits even this cerebral character fully, getting under his skin and making us feel his conflicts and aches. Randy Newman's understated yet moving musical score helps matters considerably too, and by the time Adam breaks into an impromptu rendition of 'Being Alive' in a bar, we feel the heartache and ambivalence of the divorce like nothing else in the two-hour film. Watch it for his performance, if at all.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 17min
Year of release: 2019
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Hot take is a series in which I offer my first impressions of films from India and around the world.
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