Marriage Story is a Magnificent Tragicomedy
Noah Baumbach perfectly encapsulates the tribulations of divorce in Marriage Story, one of the best dramas I’ve seen this year with lead actors at the top of their game. The film tells the story of Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) who hire lawyers (Laura Dern & Alan Alda) to officialize their divorce, as they both have to learn to live in their seperate ways.
The strongest element of the film comes from its stellar performances, from a career-defining Adam Driver to a terrific Scarlett Johansson. Both of them are truly electric, as you humanize and, sometimes, feel terrible (and guilty) for the two of them. The film (mostly) wants to make you root for Charlie, as Nicole decides to hire a lawyer (Dern) and serves him while visiting Nicole’s family in L.A. The “served” scene plays with terrific comedy and build-up that is both laugh-out-loud hilarious and completely heartbreaking, as Nicole’s mother (Julie Hagerty) still has deep affection for him and her sister (Merritt Wever) has no clue what she’s doing and overthinks her plan to give Charlie the envelope. I had the pleasure of seeing it in theaters, and the audience (predominantly composed of boomers) were laughing uncontrollably during the sequence, but also sympathized with how heartbreaking it must feel for Charlie. It’s funny how the film is observed in the point of view of Charlie, in which we try and sympathize with him as Nicole and Nora try to do everything in their power to get full custody of their son, Henry (Azhy Robertson). At first, you may be thinking “That bitch!”, until you actually see what kind of an asshole Charlie is.
The scene that everyone is talking about (where they lash out at each other) points out all of their flaws at once. Both of them are to blame for their falling out, but it’s interesting to see how the movie tries to make you sympathize for Charlie, but in reality you should be sympathizing for Nicole (or neither!). Throughout Marriage Story, its tone feels very ironic. Jokes are placed in the moment of need, Nora sympathizing with both Charlie and Nicole, talking about how talented Charlie is and Nicole agreeing. You can tell they still have feelings for each other, and, in many scenes, you can believe that they might not divorce, but Nicole and Charlie will go through with it. It makes the divorce journey more emotional and unpredictable. The scenes that made me tear up wasn’t the beautifully written and expertly acted confrontation that everyone’s talking about, but the two singing scenes. The first one, Nicole singing “You Could Drive a Person Crazy”. The scene is beautifully staged and executed, and wonderfully performed by the actors on-screen. The most disturbing aspect of the sequence is how happy Nicole is, finally divorced of Charlie, and Nora invited at whatever gathering this is. Laura Dern is simply superb as Nora, literally the chillest lawyer you could ever ask, but you soon learn that she doesn’t mess around. And that’s why I started bubbling up, until Charlie started singing “Being Alive”. This is where Driver’s performance goes from Oscar-Worthy to career-defining. The raw, emotional power put in the singing performance is conveyed by his lyrical delivery and facial expressions perfectly encapsulating what his divorce process felt like — money gone down the toilet that was supposed to go for Henry’s education, ever-switching lawyers (a fantastic, humane performance from Alan Alda and a dynamically hilarious Ray Liotta) and being trapped in an emotional cage that he couldn’t escape from.
Marriage Story is a magnificent tragicomedy led by two AAA actors giving AAA performances. Its powerful emotional impact is best experienced on the big screen to feel the “Being Alive” sequence in your bones. Noah Baumbach is a master at making you feel incredibly uncomfortable during extremely uncomfortable situations, but masters the art of juggling with different tones perfectly (what Taika Waititi failed to do in his satire/dramedy Jojo Rabbit). I will always be a Baumbach shill, if he keeps making movies that will make us go through an emotional journey with colorful characters and terrific performances that gives us the best of the actors that are used in the movie. Here’s a director in perfect master of his craft able to deliver an amazingly emotional, but humane journey through the hell of divorce. A masterpiece.
✯✯✯✯✯
