“Marriage Story”

If you’re looking for a good drama that’ll knock you around a little bit but is also thought provoking and bittersweet, this film should do it for you. Much like a “Kramer vs. Kramer”, this is a realistic view of a couple going through a divorce, juggling child custody and trying to figure out how to deal with what comes with it. Deep down they really love each other but their professional lives, personal dreams and ideas are going in opposite directions forcing the reality of separation and ultimately divorce. It’s an unpleasant subject that couples deal with on a daily basis and for some this movie may be a chore to sit through. Noah Baumbach has tackled this material before with “Squid & the Whale”. That movie got under my skin because both leads were crazy and the kids were drips. This film, I think does a better job at portraying the parents in a more believable way. The performances by Adam Driver & ScarJo are terrific. Driver will probably take home a bunch of trophies for this. He’s great as you really feel for him as we continuously watch him get screwed over and over by Laura Dern as ScarJo’s psycho divorce lawyer who’s ad was probably found in a health food magazine published by a Stepford wive. She’s over the top, but her character is very fun to watch as is Ray Liotta’s lawyer who is something out of Goodfellas. Alan Alda is also good as a mensch lawyer who is way past his prime. This is a really good film. There are some moments which I didn’t buy or wished that the writing didn’t try to go for laughs, but that’s Baumbach’s MO. This is playing on Netflix so put it into your watchlist and check it out. It’ll be one of the movies nominated at Oscar time and may win. 

Rating: (****)