Review of While We're Young (2015) by Glenn G — 11 Mar 2015

ARTISINAL, HAND-CRAFTED, AND SURPRISINGLY WONDERFUL - My Review of WHILE WE'RE YOUNG (4 Stars).

Jane: You crossed the line!

Tom: It's hard not to cross it. They just keep moving the little sucker, don't they?

- BROADCAST NEWS (1987).

Noah Baumbach (THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, FRANCES HA!), in his completely charming and surprisingly deep new film, WHILE WE'RE YOUNG, wrestles with right and wrong similar to how it was handled in James L. Brooks' seminal film, BROADCAST NEWS. He brings questions of values into a beautifully specific, hilarious new comedy. In fact, these two films would make a fine double bill, as both feature relatable, vivid characters caught up in relevant ethical dilemmas.

Ben Stiller plays Josh, a film professor who has been struggling to finish his own documentary for years. He and his wife Cornelia (Naomi Watts) are childless and seemingly happy with their carefree existence. Enter Jamie and Darby (Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried), an aspiring filmmaker and his entrepreneurial wife, who meet Josh in his class and a mentor/student relationship is born. Rather than hang with their peers (wonderfully represented by Adam Horowitz of Beastie Boys fame and Maria Dizzia), Josh and Cornelia find themselves reinvigorated by hanging with the cool kids. Not before long, they're experiencing every hand-crafted, artisinal option available to your average Williamsburg hipster - fun hats, street raves, hip hop class, and ice cream hybrids you didn't know existed a minute ago and now you can't live without.

A lesser director would have allowed this mid-life crisis story to serve as its only theme, but Baumbach, an impressively smart filmmaker, has much more on his mind. Cornelia's father Leslie (Charles Grodin in top form) is a legendary documentarian, and Josh has been forever trying to step out from his shadows. Soon, Jamie starts to infiltrate this world, bringing with him his own questionable ways of making a documentary. Josh the purist finds himself clashing with Jamie, who has no qualms about bending the rules to achieve his goals. It's to Baumbach and his wonderful cast's credit that every character is treated with such fairness. Driver could easily have been demonized for his actions, but Baumbach is almost insisting that we consider the seismic shift in priorities from one generation to the next. When Cornelia takes a hip hop class with Darby, the scene is played for geeky laughs, but Watts is having so much fun that you can't help but adore her for her "White Soccer Mom" attempts. Ultimately, Baumbach seems to be saying that ethics may be dying, but you can't blame anyone for trying to do whatever it takes in this cutthroat world.

This may sound heavy, but the film is so funny, so richly detailed, so well-observed, you hardly notice. What could have easily been a throwaway scene in which a married couple in bed are at cross purposes when one wants to read while the other needs sleep, turns indelible when the discussion turns to the wattage of the reading lamp bulb. During the fizzy honeymoon period when Josh and Cornelia are still worshipping at the altar of their younger friends, Watts memorably notices that they've decorated their apartment with everything they threw out, but somehow they make it look so cool. Even a tiny scene with a doctor yields a great joke about arthritis.

Each of the cast members does some of their best work, with Amanda Seyfriend finally getting another chance at comedy since MEAN GIRLS, and scoring again with her turn as a seemingly flight wife who may just be the sanest person in the room. Stiller is a master at deadpan angst, and while he doesn't stretch here, it's the passion he brings to Josh's convictions that make this part memorable. Even some of the smaller roles have yielded great results, particularly Matthew Maher as Josh's long-suffering editor. Completely eschewing histrionics, he quietly and persistently makes his voice heard, despite the totally self-involved nature of his boss. Ryan Serhant plays a glib, uncaring Agent to perfection. I completely bought into his over-excited energy when hyping Jamie and his total indifference to Josh. He nimbly represents every infant who has somehow achieved great power without caring about history.

Technically, this film is a low-budget treat. Cinematographer Sam Levy has a nice feel for New York streets and for keeping his cast vibrantly engaged in the frames. I particularly loved an extended shot of Josh and Jamie riding bicycles, starting with exhilaration and ending with silly, but relatable slapstick. George Drakoulias does a fine job as Music Supervisor, mixing classical themes (perhaps ones that are a little too played out) with modern tracks and unearthing some long-forgotten but killer oldies such as NINETEEN HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE by Paul McCartney and Wings.

Sometimes Noah Baumbach can get a little too heavy and navel-gazing (MARGOT AT THE WEDDING anyone?), but with WHILE WE'RE YOUNG, he's loosened up and allowed himself to inject great humor and heart into a subject matter that's dead serious and completely of-the-moment. As a result, he's made one of this year's best films.