Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Box Office Review - Greenberg


Right off the bat I have to say that Greenberg is the first Noah Baumbach movie that I have watched beginning to end. I have purchased both The Squid and the Whale and Margot at the Wedding, but have only gotten a half hour into both of them. I gave both the DVDs away, and ironically the recipients loved them. Greenberg is a Noah Baumbach movie through and through. The movie is filled with unlikeable characters, and the most unlikeable is the title character Roger Greenberg, played by Ben Stiller. Greenberg recently was released from a mental hospital, and is L.A. house-sitting for his brother. There is not much wrong with the movie, if you are a fan of Baumbach’s previous films. Unfortunately I am not, so the movie was difficult to get through. One of my main problems is the inclusion of Greenberg’s college age niece. She is alluded to in the beginning of the movie, then shows up near the end to throw a party while her dad is away. This plot point was rather forced, and was just a way for Greenberg to take drugs and regress as a character. This was not very subtle and that is when the movie lost me completely. If you have seen a Baumbach directed film and liked it. This may be your cup of tea. I much prefer Baumbach’s work with Wes Anderson.

Banana Peel


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