Marriage Story

[scenicdesign71]

I always seem to come away from Noah Baumbach's movies (well, the three or four I've seen) wondering what all the fuss is about.  There's nothing wrong with them (and quite a bit right).  His milieu ought to grab me (and does, up to a point).  But I never seem to have quite the transcendent experience many of his reviewers apparently do.

Nevertheless, having until just now read only one or two bare-bones capsule summaries of his latest opus (and yawned to myself, "sounds like more of the same"), A.O. Scott's finely-composed rhapsody suddenly has me panting to see it.

Obviously, the film's inclusion of not one but two songs from Company ("You Could Drive A Person Crazy" and "Being Alive") doesn't hurt -- although, even having already known about that (I forget how), if it weren't for Scott's tantalizing review, there's a good chance I might have waited for streaming (and then let it languish on the "I should watch this, but maybe some other time" list for months or years) to see Scarlett Johansson's and Adam Driver's respective renditions of those songs.

Even (or especially) with a buildup like Scott's, I'm bracing myself for disappointment.  (Re: the songs in particular, I pretty much expect to be unimpressed by the leads' vocal performances as such).  But the movie has jumped onto my must-see list, and I'd really like to do so while it's still in theaters.

Anyone here seen it yet?

[KathyB]

Haven't seen it, but Johansson's version of "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" might not be half bad--she released an album of Tom Waits songs a few years ago.

[scenicdesign71]

Variety's review is another incandescent rave, declaring, moreover, that Marriage Story represents a major breakthrough in Baumbach's work.

And they're not alone; Rotten Tomatoes rates the movie as 97% Fresh, with their Top Critics (currently 24 of them) unanimously thumbs-up.  To mix a metaphor.

Part of me is still inclined to just wait a month and watch it on Netflix (for one thing, it drops there on December 6, right around when my current job finally ends -- whereas, until then, much of what little free time I have is spoken-for, so I'm pretty much always tired).

But even so, that part of me is losing ground fast.  The trailer alone kind of breaks my heart.  But then, I'm probably even more susceptible to the lure of a really well-made trailer than I am to that of a really well-written review.  We shall see...