Written/Directed By: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Ben Stiller as Roger Greenberg, Greta Gerwig as Florence, Rhys Ifans as Ivan, Jennifer Jason Leigh as Beth
Noah Baumbach is one of the most talented screenwriters possibly ever in the history of the galaxy. His magnum opus, The Squid And The Whale, contains one of the best scripts of the decade and manages, simultaneously, to be wildly disconcerting, fearlessly human and achingly funny. Greenberg is quite similar, even if its characters are occasionally not given enough room to breathe and its screenplay is not always as incisive.
Writing-wise, the titular character is somewhat a retread of Jeff Daniels’ ‘Bernard’ from The Squid And The Whale. Both are self-absorbed, self-destructive, bitterly misanthropic and obnoxiously intellectual, and are painfully unaware of their own faults. The difference, though, is that Greenberg is way more expressive, more tortured and given way more screentime; inevitably, he is much more sympathetic. While the central flaw in both characters is arguably their inability to see beyond their towering sense of pride and pointless intellectualisms to the toxic effect they have on the people they love, Bernard stays resolutely indifferent, while Greenberg, in his lackluster attempts at self-reflection, occasionally becomes an apologetic wreck aware of his destructiveness but hapless of how to change. Even when Greenberg launches recklessly into destructive streaks, he never becomes condescending and dismissive like Bernard before him; instead, he becomes accusatory and defensive, like a child intent on shifting the blame from himself. Immediately, we realize that his un-likability stems not entirely from his Bernard-esque wounded sense of pride (Greenberg frequently suggests that he is a talented musician) but from his child-like fear of self-reflection — which immediately endears us to him. It’s utterly incredible how Baumbach manages to craft complex, flawed characters — that, if written by nearly any other credible screenwriter, would become immeasurably and unequivocally disgusting — and make them sympathetic (at least), human, victims of their own psychosis. Greenberg benefits from its brutal, unyielding focus on its titular character. Bernard never manages to develop the same nobility and courage that Greenberg does at the ambiguous ending, primarily because The Squid And The Whale is first and foremost about Walt (and to a slightly lesser extent, Frank); Bernard is simply the flawed human instrument that ignites the fire of Walt’s symbolic self-awakening. Greenberg is (duh) first and foremost about Greenberg, and this allows for a lot more room for character development.
However, ironically it is ultimately this decision that weighs this film down. Jennifer Jason Leigh is frighteningly adept at playing damaged, weary cynics bored of the world’s pointless pretensions, and in most other films, she eclipses the screen with her performance. Here, though, her cameo, while delightful, doesn’t really seem to have a point. At best, it just seems like a half-baked idea for Greenberg to revisit his past, but this is already done sufficiently in his interactions with Ivan and Florence. Greenberg’s brother is just a complete asshole, and little explanation is given for that. When Greenberg calls to ask him if the pool can overflow, for example, he launches into an unnecessarily vulgar (although admittedly wildly hilarious) tirade involving a gratuitous amount of “Fuck You”s before hanging up. Ivan is a sufficiently interesting character; he is Greenberg without Greenberg’s destructive immaturity. He is bitter about the music career he never had, he blames Greenberg for his life being in the shits, he loves his family and he is awesome enough to provide help to anyone who needs it. There are several scenes where Ivan could’ve become more than Greenberg’s symbolic means of self-reflection or just a convenient punching bag, but Baumbach’s relentless scrutiny of Greenberg precludes any real depth. The scene where Ivan tells Greenberg what other people think of him, for example, could’ve had the camera focus on Ivan. In the climactic frat party scene, Ivan’s troubles could’ve also been better underscored, but instead the entire scene gives way to Stiller’s emphatic declaration: “Maybe obviously I would do it differently now. Course I know what it’s like to live a life I didn’t plan on, what the fuck do you think I’m doing right now?” Florence, while played brilliantly by Gerwig, is quite impenetrable — and not in the cool/enigmatic hipster Sofia Coppola sense. I don’t understand why she likes Greenberg, and I don’t understand why she willingly puts up with such a psychotic fuckwad. Greenberg obnoxiously suggests that she was molested as a child and is drawn to his destructiveness, but she doesn’t appear convinced of its truth — and neither am I. So much of the film is intentionally grounded in the Florence/Greenberg relationship, but Baumbach doesn’t dedicate enough time to explaining why this relationship works, or what kind of person Florence is. From what I can gather, she is somewhat of a lost soul trying to find someone damaged enough to cling to, but this is just insufficient detail — especially in face of as complex a character as Greenberg.
By any standards, Greenberg is a fantastic character study, and Baumbach’s screenplay, as always, is thick and suffocating in its insight and intelligence. Ben Stiller delivers probably what will, in time, be considered his greatest on-screen performance, and I’m really surprised that he didn’t get nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, especially since Jesse Eisenberg ironically got a nod for playing a character he had played more convincingly in The Squid And The Whale. Despite some missteps and an unconvincing cast of supporting characters, Greenberg is a funny, painful and ultimately intelligent movie that definitely deserves repeated viewings, especially if you’re a horrible person and you want to believe that you have a chance at redemption. Basically, if you like black comedies, you’ll love this.
And to everyone who is so inclined to declare Greenberg Ben Stiller’s Punch-Drunk Love, omg stop. Ben Stiller > Adam Sandler anyday. Oh also, I hear Baumbach is writing Madagascar 3, which is due for release later on this year. We we we so excited.
KevinScale Rating: 4/5
therein, Therin. 