Greenberg Movie Review

In the past Noah Baumbach's movies have been noted for their brilliance as well as their disturbing and depressing atmosphere. In Greenberg, Baumbach takes a step away from that as he explores his funny side. The film stars Ben Stiller as Greenberg, but he plays a role quite different from the usual goofy guy looking for a serious relationship. Instead, he plays a 40 year old neurotic and jobless man who is too afraid of people to even bother. Florence, played by Greta Gerwig, is a kindred spirit that throughout the film Greenberg finds may be someone who he does want to continue to know.

Story

The story in Greenberg follows in the beginning as Greenberg returns to Los Angeles after spending years in New York to house sit for his brother. He meets Florence there, his brother's assistant and begins to face his past in Los Angeles. He was once a musician who lost his nerve and left just when the band could make it big. Greenberg has to change his ways if he is to live life, but at the same time he must remain himself.

Characters And Acting

As Greenberg, Stiller plays a cantankerous man from New York City trying to deal with his mid-life crisis. The character is the sort of person that is only given small roles in most films to spice up the humor, but Baumbach wants to more. He is a character who sends letter to companies complaining about their service and refuses to drive or go to parties. Set in his ways and yet having no real substance to his life, he is a control freak blob. It is a daunting task to explore a character that seems to one dimensional, but Greenberg accomplishes this. Throughout the film we learn about Greenberg as a person and the film becomes very full of heart without becoming cliche. Ben Stiller stays far from his normal roles in this blue man, but he plays it well allowing his character to show himself as a frightened little person too afraid of being humiliated to try.

Florence, an aspiring singer, enters the story as a lost woman who sleeps with any man she sees and then hates herself for it later. She and Greenberg form a subconscious mutual need for one another while they argue with one another as if it would be fine by them if they never saw the other again. Greenberg is particularly the head of this aggression which as the film progresses we see is more bark than bite. The film is a comedy but certainly a deep one; themes of loneliness, pride, and longing are present and make the movie something worth paying attention to.

This film forges into new territory which is something that is a risk at the same time that it is exciting. The film manages a good balance between darkness and light as far as mood and setting; Los Angeles is portrayed as a lovely place and in fact signals new hope for Greenberg. Reviews have given it a 7-8/10. It is rated R for some strong sexuality, drug use, and language.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenberg_%28film%29