Greenberg

After a long post-Academy Awards dry spell, we returned to the theater ready for a great film. With open minds and eager hearts, we settled in with our popcorn and candy.

Greenberg written and directed by Noah Baumbach and starring Ben Stiller was a feared disappointment. Critically acclaimed writer and director, Baumbach has a lot of experience with dysfunctional characters and has written two other movies we didn’t like – Margot At The Wedding with Nicole Kidman and The Squid and The Whale with Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney.  Apparently top actors appreciate his work because he seems to have no problem finding quality people to tell his stories. We don’t share their affection for Baumbach so Greenberg was a chore of a movie to endure.

Greenberg is the story of  Roger Greenberg. An ex-musician that fled the industry just as a record contract emerged, leaving his friendships with his bandmates at loose ends. After a move to New York for a fresh start and a stint in a mental facility, he returns to Los Angeles to house sit for his brother’s family. After two decades of emotional and mental turmoil, Greenberg attempts to make contact with his old life only to find that one can never go back. His journey is awkward, unbelievable and depressing. There were very few moments where we could muster any empathy; Baumbach’s characters were two dimensional at best, and almost hazy in their definitions. After two hours with them, we still didn’t understand them at all.

We love to explore the human condition and we are not afraid of dysfunction. But I don’t remember the last time I said to myself, “I’d really like to see a film about a man who has just returned from a stay in a mental hospital and struggles to reconnect with old friends from 20 years ago.” Ben Stiller was an interesting choice and we all tried to have an open mind as we watched him navigate the waters of a serious dramatic role. He did come across as an unstable and somewhat paranoid personality – was that him or Greenberg?

The storyline was like lukewarm milk. The character depth could have saved the story but between Stiller’s boring, awkward display and relative newcomer Greta Gerwig’s equally forgettable role as Florence – it was like watching a train wreck from a safe distance.

It should be said that Baumbach has one win in our minds – he wrote and directed one of the decades classics – Kicking an Screaming starring Wil Ferrel. It remains in a separate universe from the sad, pschyo-dribble that he has been churning out since.

That’s how we REALLY feel about this one.

A Rave Review rated it a 1 out of 5 because we loved Kicking and Screaming and it is somehow connected to this mess by a thin thread.