A guy walks into a bar; the bartender immediately recognizes that the patron is pissed off. Sliding the man a beer, he asks, “What’s ailing you?”, to which he replies, with a loud, booming voice, “ALL LAWYERS ARE ASSHOLES!!!”. There is only one other person in the establishment, someone sitting at the other end of the bar. . . his ears perking up, he immediately shouts, “I take offence to that.” Taken aback, the new patron asks, “Are you a lawyer?”, to which he concludes, “No, I’m an asshole”. All joking aside, lawyers, despite not being the main players in writer/director Noah Baumbach’s 2019 Academy Award Best Picture nominee Marriage Story, play an integral part in the piece.
Following Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson), their so called marriage story is quickly becoming a separation and divorce story. Living in New York, Charlie is a renowned theatre company owner and playwright (by no means rich, but respected), his wife his actress muse. . . an edgy Hollywood teen actress that has transitioned to respected stage performer. With a young son, Henry (Azhy Robertson), their marriage has run its course. . . Nicole returning home to California (with their son) to film a pilot for a new series, Charlie must balance his hectic life, attempting to run his troupe while racking up frequent flyer miles to visit his son.
Though the pair originally agreed to avoid lawyers, Nicole is eventually convinced to see respected attorney Nora Fanshaw (Laura Dern), serving her ex with papers. Flabbergasted, he starts to wonder whether his wife is playing games (something he never would have expected), as each and every lawyer he meets must decline (as she has already consulted them for their services).
In the whole city of L.A., it seems like only two lawyers are available, pitbull Jay Marotta (Ray Liotta), and an aging, sad dog in Bert Spitz (Alan Alda) – by no means a cutthroat type, he at least speaks to you like a human being. Siding with the latter, in many ways, it does not seem like it will be a fair fight. As things degrade into a fiery mess, the viewer is forced to wonder if anything will be salvaged from this once amicable separated couple.
It is likely not chance that at one point we see the words “Scenes From a Marriage” while watching this film, for it is immediately recognizable that Baumbach is, in part, paying tribute to Ingmar Bergman’s nearly five hour 1973 miniseries (which he then turned into a near three hour movie the year later) called, you guessed it, Scenes From a Marriage. . . which deals with the same themes as this one. With this picture clocking in at two hours and seventeen minutes, Baumbach tackles the drama (the weird crux that pushes a pair apart yet somehow still finds a bond between them), the legal games (which, in the end, only further cause strife in the former family unit), and the odd humour that comes out of these emotionally complex and often dire situations.
Written in a stylistic fashion that would befit one of Charlie’s stage plays, the dialogue will likely be a hit for some and a miss for others. And, really, though there is movement between New York and L.A., you could really transplant this to the stage and it would work quite well.
Centred on its actors, Driver and Johansson control the piece with their performances. Baumbach, understanding when to have a long take focussed on a powerful moment, or when to cut for a reaction, is in control of each and every frame. It is not meant to be a flashy film, but it is very competently done (notice that there is always seemingly a divide between the couple as things deteriorate). Driver, playing an introverted character, is aptly able to channel someone struggling to wrap his head around the present situation (capturing the challenge of feeling like an outsider in a family unit that used to be his own – trying to bond with his son as he has taken so easily to the new West Coast lifestyle and those living there), while Johansson struggles with the fact that her mother, played by Julie Hagerty, still wishes to have a relationship with her ex. Though she is finally getting what she always wanted in the relationship (moving back to her native California), she also brings the emotion – showing intense range during their struggles. Then, there are the lawyers. . . Dern bringing a California air (wardrobe and all) as a seeming to have it all woman who wants to be friendly with clients while winning (wanting more than her clients often want); while Alda is a beaten man – a star that has fallen, now genteel demeanor aiming for civility and respect rather than the aforementioned winning; lastly, Liotta is your typical loathsome attorney – a vicious game player, his targeted attacks are part of his reason for charging big. . . it is no shock that he expects to win big as well.
Though the emotion didn’t really hit me (I felt like something was missing), Marriage Story is still a worthwhile watch. With excellent performances (from the entire cast), sharp direction, and a quality story, experience Baumbach’s perspective on a most prevalent topic. Also look for Driver’s take on Claude Rains’ The Invisible Man – a mighty fine Halloween costume. A final interesting note finds two Best Picture nominees connected in a most unique way. . . for Scarlett Johansson ties shoes in both this film and Jojo Rabbit. So, experience this arthouse-style picture, it’s a marriage worth making.