Review of Greenberg (2010) by James M — 08 Jan 2011

If The Squid and the Whale was Baumbach's semiautobiographical recount of his teenage youth, I feel like Greenberg might be his mid-life equivalent. Roger Greenberg's character is so well defined, from his neurosis, repugnance, and entitled veneer, all seemingly to guard his insecurities, that his development feels empirical and personal. The choice to give him an entirely antithetical romantic interest is brilliant, as Florence is modest, unassuming, and in touch with her shortcomings and regrets, all punctuating the emotional anxieties of Roger that have predicated his estrangement from society.

Some of the funniest moments of Baumbach's films seem to be arbitrary ones that might not have even been in the original script. Such directorial touches are abundant in Greenberg, like the maid turning on the vacuum during his phone call, or running the same joke again unexpectedly (daringly choosing not to follow it up with another to appease the "rules of three" in Hollywood cinema), the clapping at the dinner scene or Roger's "Assholes" comment when strolling through the hungover living room. Like Todd Solondz, Baumbach has this keen sense for adding humorous connotations that not only illicit interest in the dialogue (strengthened with some effective jump cuts), but also contextualize the deliverer's character. I believe that this form of humor works better for Baumbach than his more presentational/slapstick scenes, as the convoluted party scene comes off a tad too indulgent leading up to Roger's breakthrough.

Roger's breakthrough itself stems from a journey of mercurial introspection, both from himself and from the viewer. Baumbach chooses to omit any redeeming qualities of Roger for the entire first act, thus we're allotted an outsider's view of just how insufferable this man would appear to a common stranger. We see him failing miserably and universally, from swimming, to house sitting, to being funny or "hip" with his former friends and crushes, all the while maintaining his pomposity. Because of this, some interactions between other characters come across as forced, as it's hard not to wonder "why would anyone be this man's friend, let alone be attracted to him?" in some scenes. However, the performances by Stiller and Gerwig are so comfortable and susceptible to their surroundings that, by the end of the film, their characters' personalities seem to justify these initial interactions. I think the real issue that stems from Roger's early mockery is that a few of the middle scenes seem to drag, as I had already lost interest in this seemingly irredeemable curmudgeon. While the complaint seems minor in description, losing the audience's interest is a big detraction for me from an otherwise brilliant film.

What I liked most about Greenberg was its honesty. Just as it takes a ton of courage from Baumbach to flagrantly display his own character flaws filmically, it takes a certain degree of courage from the viewer themselves to look past Greenberg's humor and identify with what similar ways we alienate ourselves from society; what excuses we make for our failures and regrets. Greenberg serves as a personal reminder that it's ok to be wrong sometimes, a resonant morale that I could certainly use reminding of.