Review of Greenberg (2010) by Kenneth L — 04 Feb 2011

This isn't the most revolutionary or life-changing movie, but I found it consistently interesting to watch. It's a modest but well-made character study focusing on a guy who is likable in spite of himself. It's amusing without being hilarious, and sweet without being saccharine.

Ben Stiller plays Roger Greenberg, a 40-year-old guy having a mid-life crisis without the benefit of actually having a life to have a crisis about. He's stuck in his own head and not terribly sensitive to others, but you can see him trying earnestly to be a good guy. This is one of the best performances so far from Stiller, who I just have such affection for as an actor. When you think about it, Stiller is really one of the busiest actors in the business. Sure, he occasionally makes crappy paycheck movies like Night at the Museum, but just think of the diversity of great stuff he's been in: the hilarious There's Something About Mary, the bittersweet The Royal Tenenbaums, the smart and funny Tropic Thunder. Here he's convincing as a guy who alienates everyone but wouldn't be so bad if he just knew when to shut his mouth.

The supporting cast is very good, too. Greta Gerwig plays the smart but somewhat lost girl he gets involved with. Rhys Ifans (the best character from Notting Hill) has a decent role as his former best friend. Jennifer Jason Leigh, who helped write the film, gets a couple of good scenes as his ex-girlfriend; one of her scenes in particular has a very natural conversation that I liked. Noah Baumbach's script has some quietly funny lines, and is good at showing how people really communicate or don't. His direction is fine - nothing fancy, just good storytelling.

I guess the best compliment I can pay this movie is that, after an hour and 40 minutes of watching Greenberg try to figure out what to do with his life, I would gladly watch a sequel of him trying to actually do it.