Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig & Rhys Ifans
Well performed and well shot, Greenberg is technically well made but the lack of likeability in its main character makes it difficult to sympathize with his character and journey leaves the film feeling unimpressive.
Following the critical acclaim of his film The Squid and the Whale in 2005, Noah Baumbach’s follow up film Margot at the Wedding felt cruel and cold in comparison. Greenberg, Baumbach’s latest film, is certainly warmer and more enjoyable than Margot at the Wedding but despite some strong performances and a few touching scenes, its central character suffers from a similar level of unlikeability that plagued the character of Margot before making his story and our engagement with his issues difficult to sympathize with or understand.
Florence (Gerwig), a nanny for a successful family, finds her life upset when she encounters the brother of her employer who is staying in their house whilst they are on holiday. The brother, Roger Greenberg (Stiller), has just come out of a mental health facility following a breakdown and is a 40 year old under orders to not do anything for a while. Roger’s prickly demeanor makes it difficult for him to reconnect with old friends, including Ivan (Ifans), and also engages in an awkward relationship with Florence despite also being interesting in rekindling a relationship with an old lover, Beth (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who is now going through divorce. Roger’s attitudes and issues cause problems for those around him, particularly Florence, while he assesses what his future will be.
Greenberg, both the character and the film, is difficult to relate to due mostly to the character. Having uncertainty over one’s direction in life is something many can relate to even some in the same age range as Roger Greenberg and while such feelings as those Roger and Florence experience can be empathized with by audiences, it is a common theme in many films including those Noah Baumbach has written before. While Greenberg is certainly warmer overall in comparison to Baumbach’s previous film, mostly due to the supporting characters like Ivan, the character of Roger Greenberg is portrayed as very difficult to like and even the reasons that led to the breakdown he suffered prior to his arrival in the film is left largely unexplored so is also hard to sympathize with Roger over. The character’s relationship with others also works against his relateability. While there are some attempts at kindness or empathy towards others, Roger is generally portrayed as unable to consider the feelings of those around him particularly when it comes to the effects his own actions may have upon them. The end of the film is where sympathy for Roger is finally achieved when his niece throws a party in the house in which he is staying and Roger’s inability to relate comes over as almost cute when he is surrounded with people half his age and this scene then leads to an almost climactic argument with his closest friend where Roger finally acknowledges the effects his actions have had and while this offers some hope, some redemption for the character in that he might be a better person there is still the sense that it is too little, too late.
The performances in Greenberg are generally strong. In a serious role, Ben Stiller is impressive. Accustomed to playing characters that frequently get frustrated and angry with those around them, Stiller’s performance is much more restrained than in the comedies he is accustomed too and this works well in the portrayal of Roger’s struggle to relate to others. Greta Gerwig, a relative newcomer, is likeable as Florence whose kindness and easygoing nature makes her an easy character for Roger to take advantage of and shows her character as one that, like Roger, is looking for direction but is perhaps to easily drawn into letting others dictate her direction for her. Rhys Ifans also gives a warm and likeable performance as Roger’s friend Ivan whose character is, perhaps, the most likeable in the film and whose acceptance of a life he hadn’t planned on is one that is both sad yet relatable.
While well performed and well shot, Greenberg is technically impressive but the unlikeability of its lead character makes relating to him and to his story difficult to sympathize with though it shows some improvement towards the film’s conclusion.
Rating: 3/5
