Plot: What’s it about?
Greenberg is the film that Noah Baumbach made prior to 2012’s Frances Ha. Baumbach had already proven himself a good director with The Squid and the Whale and his classic debut, Kicking and Screaming. He had proven himself to also be an excellent writer helping Wes Anderson to write both The Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Life Aquatic. Right before this film he had directed Margot At The Wedding with Nicole Kidman in the starring role. Both that film and Greenberg share a few attributes. In both films the main character is self absorbed, is returning to a situation they had left behind years earlier, and is unable to stop themselves from releasing their vitriol on others. Both of the films deserve to be put alongside each other for their similarities in theme and feel. That said, Margot at the Wedding did not do much for me overall whereas I found myself enjoying Greenberg. Both films are sort of a hard sell as I will describe below, but that does not mean you should completely write them off.
The movie begins by showing us Florence (Greta Gerwig) a girl in her mid-twenties that has recently gotten out of a relationship. The opening scene shows her attempt to meet a guy that leads to a on night stand that leaves her melancholy. For work she takes care of chores and random items as a personal assistant to Philip Greenberg. Philip and his wife are leaving town and are trusting the house while they are out of country to his brother, Roger Greenberg. Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) has recently been institutionalized and has trouble dealing with the world around him. Greenberg is coming back from Manhattan for the first time in a decade to Los Angeles. Greenberg is a perfect case of stunted adolescence, finding that everything since his prime days of youth is ridiculous and disgusting. Aside from needing to medicate himself and a propensity towards drinking, Greenberg is actually one of those people that writes letters to company’s to complain about their products. His life is empty and he at one point could have signed a record deal with his band but had chosen not to sign for fear of sacrificing his integrity. This has left his old band mates upset. He tries to meet up with his friends but finds that all of them have moved on to normal lives with kids and wives and jobs. As he lashes out he also finds time to seduce Florence in what can only be called one of the most awkward sexual encounters put to celluloid. As she grows closer to him he continues to have trouble accepting any type of normal relationship in his life.
Reading the above paragraph would probably make you think that this movie is a drama, and some people will see it that way. Personally, I think that the movie is a comedy and at times is spot on with its dry wit. The hard part about this film is that it is difficult to watch somebody so abrasive and unlikable for nearly two hours. Many viewers will find themselves turned off to the film or may walk away not even catching a single joke. Personally, the first time I saw the film I enjoyed it, but did not love it. The second time around the film was much funnier to me and I think it may just need to grow on you. That said, it his hard to recommend a movie that demands so much from the viewer, so if this is your type of thing than don’t hesitate to check it out.
The good news is that, like all Baumbach films, the dialogue is extremely well thought out and the music is great throughout the film with an original score by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. Ben Stiller is absolutely wonderful as Greenberg and Greta Gerwig is lovely as Florence. Rhys Ifans also does great in his supporting role and I always enjoy seeing Mark Duplass in anything. Baumbach is one of my favorite film makers working today and even though it does not reach the greatness of Kicking and Screaming or Frances Ha, there is a lot to enjoy with Greenberg.
Video: How’s it look?
Universal has provided an excellent transfer for this Blu-ray. Due to the film being completely shot on digital and a pure transfer there is no trace of any compression issues or any problems whatsoever. Clarity and attention to detail are excellent, and the film is very well shot, even though it is not the tour de force in this department that Frances Ha achieved. Fans of the film should really enjoy seeing it in high definition.
Audio: How’s it sound?
This audio track is well done. Surrounds are present throughout the film and really open up during the occasional scene, but this film is a dialogue driven film with no explosions or other nonsense (minus some noise pollution from a helicopter.) Dialogue is crystal clear and very easy to understand. The best part about this track comes down to the score by James Murphy and all the other awesome songs that Baumbach chose. Musically, Baumbach and I have similar tastes so I am always excited to see what is on the playlist.
Supplements: What are the extras?
There are three supplements present but unfortunately they are a bit misleading. All of them together add up to less than ten minutes of material. I watched all three but they are standard EPK stuff and nothing really worth mentioning. It’s a shame because an audio commentary would have been great. Since they didn’t take the time to include anything noteworthy I am not even going to discuss what’s included. It would take me longer to describe than it will to watch.
The Bottom Line
Greenberg is an odd duck. It is a film that I would love to recommend to everybody, but I know that most people are going to just find themselves put off by it. Although it is not my favorite of Noah Baumbach’s films, I still am glad to have it in my collection. Universal have provided an excellent transfer with clear audio and picture. Highly recommended for anybody that can stand to be around a negative person for a couple hours.
(Warning: There are a couple sex scenes in the film and both are pretty awkward. Just a heads up.)
