GREENBERG
RYAN: I really dislike Ben Stiller in movies.
CAROLINE: I kinda dislike him in general.
RYAN: [laughs’ Why is he so irksome? Seriously.
CAROLINE: I think it’s part self-righteousness and other part one trick pony-ness that has just gotten to us over the years.
RYAN: I know. I really cannot tolerate his mugging for the camera in another comedy. Please Mr. Hollywood, no more. But alas, his new movie is a new direction for his career. It’s a big role in a small movie from the same director as Margot at the Wedding called Greenberg.
CAROLINE: Believe it or not, I could totally tolerate him in this! I think it was a good move for him, career-wise. He didn’t suck at all. What a pleasant surprise.
RYAN: Right? It’s quiet and small movie, but still somewhat engaging. I have to admit I gave Ben a hard time but he’s actually good in this. I’m glad he’s stretching a bit as an actor here.
CAROLINE: It’s great to see him in a different genre. I’m so tired of seeing him in broad comedies.
RYAN: It’s definitely a different role from what he’s done lately. He plays a guy who’s basically dog-sitting for his brother after coming out of a depression and entering mid-life crisis mode. And it kind of goes from there without really going anywhere, but I was still kind of interested.
CAROLINE: It doesn’t sound that exciting, but I was kind of into it too. It’s a real character study. Just a few weeks in the life of this dude who’s hit a rough patch in his life. The character is quite unlikable, actually. Ben conveyed it all very well.
RYAN: I kept waiting for something majorly dramatic to happen; but even though it didn’t, I still enjoyed the film.
CAROLINE: Me too. I kind of liked just seeing the day-to-day life of this guy and his struggles. Even making basic human contact is awkward for him. Some scenes are so painfully awkward you just want to cringe.
RYAN: Jennifer Jason Leigh is in it too, and she really looks terrific. And she came up with the story for the film with her husband, Noah Baumbach, who wrote and directed. And for the record, is hot.
CAROLINE: [laughs’ It’s nice to see an actress aging naturally in Hollywood. Though I didn’t think she looked that great.
RYAN: That random British actor Rhys Ifans is also in it.
CAROLINE: I was surprised by him! I always think of him as that goofball character from Notting Hill, but he was quite serious in this. He was really great.
RYAN: There’s also a girl in the movie who is so strange. I mean she plays a gawky, awkward character and I guess she’s very well cast ’cause I think even she is weird.
CAROLINE: Her name is Greta Gerwig. She’s done a lot of those mumblecore films, but this is a breakthrough role for her. I kind of liked her ordinariness. She was very believable.
— BOTTOM LINE —
RYAN: It’s a small, somewhat slow-moving film that’s a real character study. I enjoyed the story, and Ben and Jennifer are pretty great in it. It’s worth seeing if you like indie movies about quirky people. There are a couple comedic moments but it’s definitely more of a dramedy.
CAROLINE: I enjoyed it too. But yes, it’s definitely more for the independent film crowd. Noah Baumbach is famous for The Squid and the Whale, and people who liked that will want to see this. I dug it. It’s not amazing, but it’s a pretty good little film, and I really liked seeing Ben Stiller branch out.
— RATING —
