Critique of “Marriage Story” (2019): A Movie Review

“Love is experiencing someone as they are, exactly the way that they are.” — Werner Erhard Noah Baumbach’s ” The Meyerowitz Stories” Wedding Story offers a piercing look at the impact of divorce American-style on its characters, Nicole (Scarlett Johansson from ” Avengers Endgame“), and Charlie (Adam Driver from ” BlacKkKlansman“), as they try to maintain dignity in a dehumanizing situation. You probably don’t live on Earth if love is never having to apologize. Other places, however, may compensate for this. Nicole and Charlie will never be satisfied with just saying, “I’m Sorry.” Nicole, a native Los Angelesn, left behind a promising movie career to move with her young son Henry to New York to appear in the plays of Charlie, a renowned theater director. Driver’s portrayal of Charlie is brilliant, as he plays a man who is on the verge of despair and desperately tries to hold together his life in the face rapid changes in circumstances. Johansson, however, has a rare quality that makes her a person you can care about. The two are introduced through montages where they describe each other’s virtues, idiosyncrasies and love letters. Nicole loves the fact that Charlie is well-organized and dresses in a way that doesn’t embarrass her. Charlie likes the way Nicole makes his tea, cuts his hair, and places it all around the house. Charlie speaks about how his wife is patient and dedicated to their son. Nicole, who refuses to hear her tribute read aloud, says that Charlie is a director with a lot of talent and never gets angry about little things. We soon learn that the tributes had been written only at the request from a marriage mediator as part of their divorce plans. Nicole, in an angry rage, refuses to read the tribute aloud. It becomes clearer when we discover that she is taking Henry to L.A. with her in order to film a TV pilot, and to pursue her movie dreams. Charlie’s recent MacArthur Fellowship, and his agreement to move to New York complicate the situation. Charlie’s affair is a further complication. Charlie is not happy about the idea of traveling 3,000 miles to see his son, even though he believes Nicole will move to New York following the shoot. The situation seems resolved when, during his California visit, Cassie (Merritt Wer, ” Greenberg“) serves him divorce papers. This is one of the most hilarious scenes in this film, which is not short on humor. The weather forecast is cloudy and rain is likely. What begins as a peaceful separation between two people, who respect each other, turns into a circus when three high-priced lawyers enter the scene: Laura Dern, Ray Liotta, and Alan Alda. Dern, who plays Nicole’s lawyer Nora Fanshaw in a custody fight for Henry, is outstanding. She appears to be a warm, caring woman, but she has a saber toothed cat inside. She delivers a passionate speech about women and their expectations. Charlie’s lawyer, after the friendly, but laid-back Bert Spitz (Alda), is Jay (Liotta, in his best performance since 2012’s The place beyond the pines). Jay is upfront about the emotional and financial costs ($950 per hour) of turning resolvable disagreements into weapons used to belittle his opponent. Baumbach, who has some experience with the subject, does not show any preference to either party. Instead, he portrays divorce as a gladiator fight that further divides the parties. It is clear that Charlie, the charming and self-absorbed man, should have been more aware of Nicole’s need for a new career. However, his wife was not able to express her needs. Nicole and Charlie have forgotten that “love is the function of communication” somewhere along their journey. The animated accusatory conversation, which could be better described as shouting matches, between husband and spouse is the emotional high point of the film. The verbal sparring is well-written but becomes overwrought. Thankfully, it does not use the excessive “F” or “S” words that are so prevalent in our culture today as a replacement for thoughtful dialogue and humor. The Marriage Story is a complex story that can be interpreted in many ways. However, it does not examine the deeper issues of a marriage, such as communication, commitment and responsibility. When asked what the movie is about, Baumbach replied, “It is many things, it is about how love isn’t always enough.” But as Werner Erhard said, “The truth of it is, that’s it.” If you remove the barriers, the pretenses, and the things you did not take responsibility for, you will find love.