MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Drama/Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Azhy Robertson, Julie Hagerty, Merritt Wever, Wallace Shawn, Martha Kelly, Mark O’Brien, Matthew Shear, Brooke Bloom, Kyle Bornheimer, Mickey Sumner, Robert Smigel, Rich Fulcher, Lucas Neff, Tunde Adebimpe, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Mary Wiseman, Matthew Maher, Gideon Glick, Raymond J. Lee, Becca Blackwell/Runtime: 137 minutes
I think it’s safe to start this review off by presenting all of you with a statistic that I must admit managed to surprise even me. That being that in any given calendrical year here in the United States at least a whopping 40-50% of all marriages that occur will eventually end in that infamous of traditions known as a divorce. Now trust me when I say that this statistic is not meant to depress you (though I definitely understand why it might). Nor for that matter is this meant for you to take a glance across the room at your partner and immediately begin questioning whether that life-long commitment they promised you when you first started dating them really is going to be the aforementioned length of time known as “life-long”. Rather, it’s simply meant to do two things. The first is to showcase for you just how tragically common than you might have otherwise thought them to be. The second is to point out just how glaringly one-sided the land of movie magic is when it comes to how they seem to be willing to showcase relationships that, whilst positive and annoyingly quirky, also don’t end with the couple separated, but “in blissful happiness to the end of their days with each other and each other”. Imagine the irony then that in the few instances that the land of movie magic has elected to showcase for an audience the pain and tribulations that come with not only navigating where one stands with a significant other in the aftermath of a failed relationship, but also both parties’ attempts to try and be the best parent they can be to their child (or children) who are unfairly caught in the middle that they have managed to be truly quite potent and searing dramas that are undoubtedly worth seeing. Yet whilst the first example that comes to mind would (without question) have to come in the form of 1979’s Kramer vs. Kramer, the other example, and slice of cinema that I happen to be reviewing for you today incidentally, that also comes to mind fairly quickly would have to be 2019’s Marriage Story. Indeed here is a slice of cinema that’s as potent, truthful, and visceral as a film could be about how when you get right down to it a divorce is one of the most heart wrenching and draining experiences one could ever go through. Not just in terms of financial drain (though that is a key component), but also in terms of emotional and physical drain as well. Suffice it to say then that it might be not the easiest sit in the entire world to get through for a lot of people out there, but with the aid of truly exceptional and powerful work on both sides of the camera, Marriage Story might not be for everyone, but trust me when I say that it is easily one of the most emotional and hard-hitting viewing experiences I have had in the past 6 years.
The plot is as follows: Marriage Story gets its heartbreaking narrative underway via a rather curious manner. That being that we are treated, through that distinct land of movie magic trope known as voiceover, to a collection of things that a married couple by the names of Charlie and Nicole each love about the other. Unfortunately for us as movie goers these distinct lists aren’t about to become love poetry that Shakespeare is going to write and serenade his audiences with. Nor for that matter are we about to see these sentiments shared in a heartfelt card or movie that you wouldn’t be surprised to see the word Hallmark attached to at any point in time. Rather, these are things that a mediator has requested our pair to come with so their recently-declared separation can start off on the right foot. Indeed as we soon learn, Charlie is a fairly skilled director of a theater troupe located in Brooklyn, New York and Nicole happens to be his troupe’s leading lady and for a while it seems like the two have been very happy together. Unfortunately, that isn’t entirely accurate; rather, I think it would be more fitting to say that the two have been experiencing more than a few marital dilemmas as of late. It is because of these issues that we see that when Nicole gets the opportunity to be a part of a TV pilot in that distinct locale known as Los Angeles, she takes it and decides to leave Charlie and stay with her mom who resides in West Hollywood whilst Charlie remains with the troupe back in New York. Yet even as the couple desperately does their best to make things work as best as possible so their 8-year-old son Henry can have some semblance of peace of mind, it isn’t long before long-buried rancor and a collection of more than slightly bitter allegations, some based in truth and some not so much, are starting to seriously chip away at the core of this peaceful separation between our main couple. Add into the mix a collection of that extremely expensive, more than slightly astute, and quite infamous group known as lawyers and you have the ingredients for what could become a very messy situation. Thus can our once-married couple do what they can to stay civil with each other, wrap up this heartbreaking chapter, and move on with their lives or is this one separation where the only thing more costly than the bill for services rendered is the personal impact that it has on those involved? That I shall leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader…..
Now right off, it should be noted that the work done behind the camera on this particular slice of cinema is nothing short of majestic. This starts with the work done by Noah Baumbach at the helm and to his credit we see that Baumbach does a wonderful job at not only refusing to play favorites between the pair at the heart of the film (unlike say the aforementioned Kramer vs. Kramer), but also by focusing more on the turmoil that the separation manages to have on both of them. As a result, not only are we allowed to see both of our characters as three-dimensional people, both good and not so good, but we are also permitted to view their perspectives of this situation on their own terms rather than on any that another film might have chosen to put them in right from the word go. Alongside his top-flight work done at the helm, we also see that Baumbach does an equally as electrifying job on this slice of cinema’s script and I think it can safely be said that the script for this slice of cinema has to be one of the most genuine to say nothing of viscerally frank and sincere he has done to date. Indeed this is one script that is full to the brim with plentiful helpings of narrative that then proceed to rise to moments where we are treated to emotional releases that you will definitely find yourself at the least wincing toward and at most trying to hold back tears of your own at. However, even though these emotional moments are without question incredibly hard to watch, I feel that there is also no denying that they do make for a riveting viewing experience all the same. Now even though Baumbach’s distinct acidic wit is not as prominent here as in other works he has done, that doesn’t mean that comedy is nowhere to be found here. In fact, I would say that the bits of comedy spliced into this film by Baumbach are not only genuinely funny, but they also make for terrific releases from the moments where the characters subject each other to what literally amounts to an emotional maelstrom and a half. Of course, I would be amiss if I didn’t take some time in this section to talk about the truly beautiful work done on this slice of cinema’s musical accompaniment from iconic composer Randy Newman. Indeed Newman has long been one of my favorite composers and here his musical score does a wonderful job of establishing right from the word go a truly impactful yet also quite heartbroken and gloomy atmosphere that is not only able to permeate the film in its entirety, but will definitely tug at your heartstrings, leave you with a tear or 5 rolling down your eyes, and even stay with you long after the film has come to an end. Suffice it to say that when you also factor into the mix beautifully bittersweet work done by the film’s cinematography department it’s clear that the work done behind the camera on this film definitely does a tearjerkingly terrific job at hitting all the right emotional notes it needs to and then some.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt this slice of cinema in the least that the work done by the undeniably talented cast of players in front of the camera is able to match the impeccable work done behind the camera beat for heartbreaking beat. This starts with Johansson who is nothing short of brilliant here as Nicole. Indeed perhaps the key moment that really stands out for me is a moment where we see Johannson engage in a quasi-sorta monologue about the marriage to say nothing of her ever-rising irritability at her needs being time and time again pushed aside for her husband’s artistic desires. I mean not only is this scene genuinely heartbreaking, but it also acts as a glaring if not slightly ironic reminder about how far too often the performer giving it has also been overlooked in regards to her skill as an actress as well. Besides the riveting work done by Johansson, we also get a truly potent turn here from Adam Driver in the role of Charlie. Indeed here is a character that yes you could put blame on for the divorce occurring due to his selfish desires and a few other things that I shan’t spoil here. Yet even if you choose to do so, there is no denying that Driver is still able to ensure we empathize with Charlie. Not because he is Mr. Perfect, but because of how relatable and meaningful he is as a character. Alongside the wonderful work done by both Johansson and Driver, this slice of cinema also offers up for movie goers a collection of support performances that are just as electric and engaging in equal measure. The first of these performers is Laura Dern who is nothing short of phenomenal in the role of Nora. Indeed Dern does an incredible job at portraying this woman who is nothing short of a shark in her chosen profession and who has no problem at going as far as she possibly can (if not even further than that come to think) for the benefit of her client even whilst making sure she has no emotional backing in the whole ordeal. Yes this is definitely a character that easily could have been one-note there is also no denying that Dern is just remarkable and makes every single minute of screentime that she is given count. We also get a beautiful performance from the iconic Alan Alda as one of two lawyers that Charlie consults during this whole ordeal. Indeed I have long enjoyed Alda’s work as a performer and here he does a fantastic job at giving us a lawyer who is more comfortable at being a source of comfort to say nothing of getting his clients to just bow out gracefully in these potentially volatile situations rather than engage in the more cutthroat dog-eat-dog style that a lot of his peers choose to take part in. Along with Alda, we also get a terrific support turn from the late yet great Ray Liotta who, in the role of the 2nd and a wee bit more expensive lawyer Charlie hires, does a wonderful job of bringing the same volatility and aggression that Laura Dern brings to her character, but from a male perspective. Indeed Liotta was always a delightful talent, but especially when he got to be a bit more on the mercurial or temperamental side and in this film we definitely get to see that especially in the heated moments in court between him and Dern which play less like a high-stakes tennis match and more like two snipers competing to see who can get the proverbial kill shot first. Suffice it to say that when you also incorporate into the mix wonderful efforts from such talents as Julie Haggerty, Merritt Wever, Wallace Shawn, Martha Kelly, and Matthew Shear among others it’s clear that there might be some miniscule issues here and there with this slice of cinema, but the work done by this cast is certainly not one of them.
All in all and at the end of the day is Marriage Story a perfect slice of cinema? Sadly no though not for lack of effort on the part of either cast or crew. With that being said however, is this the worst thing to happen to the concept of life after marriage since 1997’s That Old Feeling with Dennis Farina and Bette Midler? Thankfully no even if the case of the latter Farina and Midler are doing their absolute best to keep that particular film afloat. With that in mind though dear reader, there is no denying that even though this might be one particular slice of cinema that is best watched as a one and done kind of film that it isn’t because the film is by any stretch of the imagination terrible. Rather, it is because this slice of cinema is one that is so emotionally raw, so soulfully potent, and so heartbreakingly honest in its cinematic dissection of this couple that I don’t honestly know if I could bring myself to watch it again without crying more than I ever thought possible. Yet perhaps the most intriguing element of this film is the fact that whereas some slices of cinema of this particular subgenre might be quick to point the finger at one half of the couple more so than the other and then proceed to place the other half on a pedestal as a symbol of our collective sympathies as an audience this slice of cinema does not do that. Instead, and in a manner that is wonderfully reminiscent of real life, we as movie goers find ourselves constantly switching our sympathy and fury between both of the main characters as the film goes on. As a result, we see that even after everything that is said and engaged in by both Charlie and Nicole and even after the giant colossal mess that their separation becomes via a mixture of rancor, buried hostility, and even vicious bloodthirsty lawyers that we don’t hate one over the over nor do we have a preference on who to place our sympathy and affection. Instead, we have come to love and accept both of them for the decent yet still quite flawed human beings that they both truly are. It is when looking at this slice of cinema through that perspective dear reader that I think it can be said that, with the aid of top-tier work both behind and especially in front of the camera, that 2019’s Marriage Story is not a film revolving around a divorce. Instead, I think it is a film that is meant to be about the battle to survive one to say nothing of a potent cautionary story that you might think you know how every breakup or divorce plays out, but the truth is that you really don’t until it happens to you. Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Marriage Story “2019” a solid 4.5 out of 5.
