Holy Frickin' Lovely

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2019)

This is one of the most emotionally beautiful films I have ever seen. It's like if peeling an onion caused you to laugh instead of cry, but still activated your tear ducts.

This film is a love story about divorce. Charlie (Adam Driver), who is a well-known theatre Director about to take his play to Broadway, and Nicole, (Scarlett Johansson) who has become a well-known actress due to starring in Charlie's plays, meet in this industry and marry living a life together with their son Henry. Ten years into their marriage, Charlie and Nicole decide to divorce amicably without lawyers until Nicole hires a lawyer unannounced and things start to become worse than initially intended.
DIRECTION:
Noah Baumbach (not to be confused with Johan Sebastian Bach) did a spectacular job taking a sad subject and showing such purity and grace. The movie is so grounded causing it to feel like two real people who truly love each other going through this tough time. Baumbach also creates a theatrical feel to the film. He does this by having long drawn-out scenes coupled with beautiful dialogue usually only between only 2-3 characters at once.
WRITING:
I have to double down with what I said under "DIRECTION." The writing is so pure and real, that it feels like you are truly watching the emotional nature of divorce. You truly feel like you're watching a documentary on two people struggling to balance their secretive resentment and love for each other. I always say that my favorite films are those that can keep me engaged strictly through dialogue and this is a perfect example.
ACTING:
Adam Driver me to the Oscars to watch you receive this reward. Oh my goodness and gracious. There's a specific performance in a scene between Mr. Driver and Ms. Johansson that I think could easily by itself deliver an Oscar for both of them. This is also coming off a great performance in "The Report" (Adam Driver) and an amazing supporting role in Jojo Rabbit (Scarlett Johansson). Not to mention the superb supporting cast with the likes of Laura Dern, Ray Liotta and Alan Alda. This incredible ensemble really takes the film to another realm of realism and beauty.
CONCLUSION:
Marriage Story does what it is set out to do and that is make you feel. Through the Direction, Writing and Acting, this film doesn't make you pick sides or dread so much the process of what can be a very dreadful process. Although the story at it's core is sad, this is also one of the funniest movies of the year and it makes me feel like I'm going through a painful divorce with the same feelings that both Charlie and Nicole feel. I still need to see Uncut Gems, Richard Jewell, Little Women, etc., but as of right now this takes the #1 spot in my top 10 in 2019.