Having endured divorce and a colonoscopy, I would rather watch Will “I Vlogged my Colonoscopy” Smith than sit through 2 hours of “[Unhappy] Marriage Story.”
"What's Eating Gilbert Grape" was playing on HBO. My girlfriend's dad yelled, "What is this goddamn fascination with dysfunctional fucking families?" as he stomped out.
The only Baumbach movie I can say I actually enjoy is 'Kicking and Screaming' (no, not the one about soccer and Will Ferrell is not in it) which is a comedy and actually funny. Everything he's done since is just a stone cold bummer, no matter how artfully assembled.
Thanks for the great review. Now I'm even less likely to see it unless desperate for something to watch. It sounds way too much like it's Squid & The Whale II: This Time Divorce REALLY Sucks. I'm not a big Noah Baumbach fan anyway. Watching his self-absorbed main characters whining about their tortured lives as writers, sculptors, painters, arts professors, etc. always makes me think, "geez, have any of you people ever worked in retail?"
Thanks for this review, Roy. It answered many questions I have about this film and its ilk, although not the one I've been asking myself since Kramer vs. Kramer came out: who is this for (besides Academy voters)? I get why the artists involved would find the project appealing; it makes explicit what most indie releases confine to the subtext: that art is just therapy as a spectator sport, so render unto Fandango. But why pay to watch someone disintegrate mentally and emotionally when you can see the President for free? Perhaps my blindspot for this sub-genre is due to experiencing divorce solely from a child's perspective (although I was a teenager when Kramer vs. Kramer came out, and while I painfully identified with the son, I too hated the little shit).
Now I gotta see this just for the scene where Driver blows up at his lawyer. Recently went through an ordeal (well, the gf did; I watched) in which a similar scene played out. She hired a lawyer and in their first meeting he overflowed with folksy stories. Okay, she thought, we're getting to know each other, he's trying to put me at ease... and when he finally started talkin' law 30 minutes in, she went red: HOLY CRAP I JUST PAID FOR ALL THAT BULLSHIT. (He was fired later that week after he sent us a document containing typos. We are not typos people under any circumstances.)
Enjoyed this very much--more frequent arts reviews, please!
Having endured divorce and a colonoscopy, I would rather watch Will “I Vlogged my Colonoscopy” Smith than sit through 2 hours of “[Unhappy] Marriage Story.”
“Art? I thought we were talking about movies...”-“Doonsbury”
Best capsule review ever:
"What's Eating Gilbert Grape" was playing on HBO. My girlfriend's dad yelled, "What is this goddamn fascination with dysfunctional fucking families?" as he stomped out.
Percipient reviewing, as ever, Roy. "... not only world-class acting... " Exactly.
And what about Driver's hands?
The only Baumbach movie I can say I actually enjoy is 'Kicking and Screaming' (no, not the one about soccer and Will Ferrell is not in it) which is a comedy and actually funny. Everything he's done since is just a stone cold bummer, no matter how artfully assembled.
Thanks for the great review. Now I'm even less likely to see it unless desperate for something to watch. It sounds way too much like it's Squid & The Whale II: This Time Divorce REALLY Sucks. I'm not a big Noah Baumbach fan anyway. Watching his self-absorbed main characters whining about their tortured lives as writers, sculptors, painters, arts professors, etc. always makes me think, "geez, have any of you people ever worked in retail?"
Thanks for this review, Roy. It answered many questions I have about this film and its ilk, although not the one I've been asking myself since Kramer vs. Kramer came out: who is this for (besides Academy voters)? I get why the artists involved would find the project appealing; it makes explicit what most indie releases confine to the subtext: that art is just therapy as a spectator sport, so render unto Fandango. But why pay to watch someone disintegrate mentally and emotionally when you can see the President for free? Perhaps my blindspot for this sub-genre is due to experiencing divorce solely from a child's perspective (although I was a teenager when Kramer vs. Kramer came out, and while I painfully identified with the son, I too hated the little shit).
Now I gotta see this just for the scene where Driver blows up at his lawyer. Recently went through an ordeal (well, the gf did; I watched) in which a similar scene played out. She hired a lawyer and in their first meeting he overflowed with folksy stories. Okay, she thought, we're getting to know each other, he's trying to put me at ease... and when he finally started talkin' law 30 minutes in, she went red: HOLY CRAP I JUST PAID FOR ALL THAT BULLSHIT. (He was fired later that week after he sent us a document containing typos. We are not typos people under any circumstances.)