Review of Marriage Story (2019) by Manicure — 22 Nov 2020

"Marriage Story" is a simple, genuine, and bittersweet drama that may fall a little flat at times but is brought up by solid acting and natural screenplay.

Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver's chemistry feels sincere, and the film is carefully crafted so that we can naturally absorb their emotions and learn their points of view without providing us any moral judgments. It's up to the viewer to take sides depending on their previous experiences and frustrations.

The story is brought to life by a lot of apparently insignificant details and episodes that are later reprised in the movie, sometimes with gut-punching effects. The supporting characters' performances are remarkable as well, above all Laura Dern as the merciless divorce lawyer. However, they are limited to bringing some comic relief more than anything. Charlie and Nicole's son Henry gets a lot of screen time, but despite being in the center of the events his contribution is close to nonexistent. Sure, he is the one that coincidentally leads to the final wrap-up, but unfortunately that felt as a forced plot device and as awkward as that scene where they yell at each other.

Surprisingly enough, the light and straightforward scenes proved to be the most moving and heartfelt.