The films of writer/director Noah Baumbach have never been easy to watch, but always easy to admire. Beginning with sycophancy transmitted inter-generational in “The Squid and the Whale” to bitter sibling rivalry in “Margot at the Wedding,” Baumbach pursues his latest focus on the emotionally stunted in “Greenberg.”
“Greenberg” follows the eponymous Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller), who visits his hometown of Los Angeles after spending 15 years in New York (some of it in a psychiatric ward). Back in town for six weeks, Roger house-sits for his brother’s family and meets their assistant, Florence (Greta Gerwig), and promptly initiates a tumultuous affair. In addition, Roger reconnects with the former friends/band mates he left behind.
The film centers on the disconnect Roger feels with the outside world. At the moment, he wants to “do nothing” and readily chooses not to conform to almost anything in his surroundings: he refuses to drive, he acts petulantly in public and he lacks empathy towards those closest to him.
When Roger meets another “lost soul” in Florence, he is immediately drawn to her. She too has difficulty finding her place in the world and finds herself attracted to Roger, despite his harsh criticisms.
Roger tries to pick up where he left off with his former best friend/band member Ivan (Rhys Ifans) and initially through awkwardness, then understanding, and finally honesty, the two men comes to terms with their resentment. At one point Ivan states to Roger, “I’ve finally embraced the life I never planned.” This concept is foreign to Roger, in his extreme difficulty to compromise his inflexible principles, which in turn destroyed the most important relationships in his life.
“Greenberg” has an awkward, uncomfortable style, representing Roger’s feelings in a painful reality. Baumbach artfully pays homage to the character films of the 1970’s via the opening credits through the lack of an action-driven plot to the sterile and desaturated cinematography.
In the end, a statement made to Greta encapsulates the film: “hurt people hurt people.” Baumbach, by way of a convincingly transformed Stiller, expresses what it means to refuse to become a grown up and how it affects friends and family.
Ari Silber is a Loyola MBA student. Before graduate school, he worked for nine years in the Los Angeles film industry, focusing on marketing, publicity and distribution. He can be reached at [email protected]
